No Volunteers, How to Pay Their Salaries?: Minister Dola

The volunteer system in Andhra Pradesh seems to have come to an end, as clarified by Minister Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy. He stated that the volunteer system is no longer operational in the state and blamed the previous YSRCP government for failing to renew it. The minister claimed that the inefficiency of the past government led to the system's discontinuation.

Minister Veeranjaneya Swamy mentioned that their government tried to fulfill the promises made to the volunteers during the election period. However, he questioned how salaries could be paid to non-existent volunteers. He added that if the volunteers were still active, the government would have continued their services. He confirmed that the volunteer system has not been in existence since August 2023. According to him, the volunteers were made to resign before the elections, and currently, there are no volunteers in the state.

He pointed out that the previous government issued a Government Order (GO) to retain the volunteers until August 2023. However, no GO was issued in September 2023 to continue their services. He explained that had there been an extension order, their government would have also increased the salaries of the volunteers. Despite this, the minister emphasized his belief in the volunteer system.

This clarification came during the Question Hour in the Legislative Council when members raised questions about the status of the volunteer system.