Future of Gopalamitra volunteers has been hanging in balance for the last three months with the government’s initiative to appoint animal health assistants (AHAs) in the proposed village secretariats in the State. Candidates, who have diplomas in veterinary science and dairy development, are qualified for 9,800 veterinary assistant posts.
However, the government received only 5,800 applications with the lack of sufficient number of qualified persons for those posts. Gopalamitra volunteers, who have been working like AHAs for the last 20 years, are insisting that the government consider them for the newly-created posts. They also claim that some of them had the required qualification and others would acquire the diploma if sufficient time is given for them.
The government’s decision to select qualified AHAs is expected to have impact on 2,840 Gopalamitra volunteers and some of them have been working since inception of the concept in 1999. Currently, the government pays ₹6,500 as honorarium to those volunteers. However, they could not get the honorarium for the last six months. Their regular duty is to improve the productivity of existing livestock with the support of artificial insemination.
They have to take care of the health of animals under the supervision of veterinary doctors in villages.
AP State Gopalamitra Service Association president K. Veera Bhadrayya and vice-president K. Ganapati Rao alleged that the government was playing with the lives of Gopalamitra volunteers after utilising their services for the last two decades.
“It will take at least five years for diploma holders to get sufficient experience in taking care of animals’ health.
Instead of waiting for five years to get good service from them, the government can consider Gopalamitra volunteers as Animal Health Assistant and Veterinary Assistants with ₹19, 500 pay scale as per the recent notification,” they said.
Chalo Vijayawada
The association, which could not get concrete assurance from the government over their future, launched State-wide agitation on August 22. Those will continue till August 29 with the culmination of Chalo Vijayawada programme.