VRA Pay Scale Delay: Another Village Official Dies by Suicide in Nalgonda

Upset over the Telangana government not granting a pay scale, another Village Revenue Officer(VRA) Kancharla Venkateshwarlu (40) from Utlapalli in Miryalaguda of Nalgonda district died by suicide on Saturday, September 10 a week after his colleague Karaboina Ashok (25) in Kamareddy district. According to his family, Venkateshwarlu joined service in 2006. He was frustrated over the payment delay and forced him to take his life.

The Telangana government abolished the Village Revenue Officer (VRO) system and introduced the new Revenue Act to address land-related issues in the state. Chief Minister K Chandra Shekhar Rao had promised that VROs will be accommodated in other departments. CM KCR had also promised the regularisation of their job and also hike in salary as per the standard pay scale for VROs. 

However the government had not fulfilled the promises made to the VRAs till date. Presently, VRAs are given a monthly honorarium of Rs.10,500.

VRAs across the state have been protesting against the government to implement the standard pay scale from 48 days. Over 20 VRAs have died across the state in the past two months. VRA Join Action Committee (JAC) alleged that the deaths occurred because they were upset with the government's delay over regularising their jobs and granting a standard pay scale which was pending for two years.  

Reacting to the incident, TPCC chief Revanth Reddy criticised KCR that how can a person rule the nation who didn't do justice to VRAs in the state. 

Also Read: Kamareddy VRA Dies by Suicide Over Pay Scale Delay