About 1.34 lakh functionaries of the ward/village secretariats, who have completed their probation period of two years, have been absorbed into the State government service and will get their pay for July payable on August 1.
With a view to bringing governance to the doorstep of the people, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had brought in the village/ward secretariat system in October 2019.
As per the revised payscale, the panchayat/ward secretary will get a monthly pay of ₹23,120, while the secretaries will get ₹22,460. The salaries have been revised as per the new pay commission guidelines.
G.O. No. 5 issued on July 5 said the functionaries serving in 15,004 ward/village secretariats would be integrated into the government service after confirmation of their probation by the district Collectors.
Many young, educated men and women have been appointed in the ward/village secretariats and made a part of the service delivery mechanism. Their initiation coincided with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they found themselves in the thick of action in testing, surveillance, quarantine and vaccination management of vast sections of people.
“The pandemic has opened the eyes of many critics as the village/ward secretariat system played a pivotal role in contact tracing of primary and secondary contacts, distribution of essential commodities and playing a supportive role to the frontline workers. Post pandemic, the system has started to go on full throttle,”’ said a senior government official.
Presently, there are 15,004 village/ward secretariats in the State, spread across 13,000 villages, 120 towns and cities. The secretariats have been planned to ensure that there is a ward secretariat for 2,000 people in the urban areas and village secretariat for every 4,000 people in the rural areas.
Presently, 541 services are being provided at the village/ward secretariats and the focus is on providing four basic services — pension, rice cards, YSR Aarogyasri and housing schemes.
