Vijayawada: Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will formally inaugurate the volunteers' felicitation programme at Kovvur in East Godavari district on April 14.
The state government has decided to honour the village and ward volunteers who work between the government and the people in the implementation of various welfare schemes regardless of caste, religion, class, region and party for the third year in a row.
This year, the authorities have made arrangements to honour 2,33,719 volunteers who have worked for at least a year and have not faced any complaints.
After the CM formally launches the volunteers felicitation and awards presentation programme, secretariat-wise programmes of the same would continue under the leadership of MLAs in their respective areas for a month. The volunteer system was introduced on August 15, 2019, within three months of Jagan coming to power.
To recognize the services of volunteers who worked selflessly with just an honorarium, this honouring programme for them is organised on the occasion of Ugadi under the banner, 'Salute to Volunteers'.
For the financial year 2020-21, the volunteers' felicitation programme had been organised on April 14, 2021. Thereafter, these programmes started from April 7 of the following year.
The Jagan government first decided to conduct the volunteers felicitation programme on the occasion of the Telugu New Year, Ugadi. But, as the MLC election code was in force in the state, the government decided to organise the volunteer felicitation programme from April 14.
Awards along with cash prize will be offered to 875 volunteers from across the state, five in each constituency with 'Seva Vajra' award, a cash of Rs 30,000 as also medal, badge, shawl and a certificate.
A total of 4,220 persons would be selected for the 'Sevaratna' award, five from each mandal and municipality and 10 from the cities, with a cash award of Rs 20,000, apart from the medal, badge, shawl and certificate for each. As many as 2,28,624 Volunteers will be given 'Sevamitra' award and Rs 10,000 each in cash.
Officials said Volunteers will be selected for the awards based on their performance, the satisfaction expressed by the families in the area, the attendance of volunteers in the government's programmes at the Gadapa Gadapa Mana Prabhutvam, the distribution of pensions to one cent percent beneficiaries on the first day of every month, the registration of the identification details of beneficiaries within the scope of volunteer clusters in the implementation of various welfare schemes, etc.
