CM hikes salaries of women VOAs

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday hiked the salaries of 17,608 women working as village organisation assistants (VOA) from Rs. 5,900 per month to Rs. 8,000. The hike, to cost the government `106 crore, will come into effect from September.

The CM announced `2 crore to provide the VOAs uniforms. He also decided to enforce the job renewal policy annually, instead of once in three months.

Responding positively to a request to provide life insurance, the CM directed panchayat raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao to study the relevant regulations and submit a



report.

In the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, VOAs extended their services voluntarily to the women self-help groups in the financial aspects and compiling data. They were given a meagre Rs.2,000 honorarium.

After the formation of Telangana state, the CM recognised the VOAs services and started giving `3,000 monthly honorarium from 2016. The state government also implemented the pay revision commission to the VOAs and enhanced their salary to `3,900. Subsequently, the VOAs were receiving Rs. 5,900 salary.