WARANGAL: When an influential person visits a government office, he is treated well and his work is completed in no time. However, it is the not the same with a farmer who is treated with low priority.
To bring a change in such behaviour from the officers, Mulugu district collector C. Narayana Reddy has initiated, “Maa Rythe Maa Raju – Mulugu Udyogulam, Rythu Sevakulam’ meaning ‘Our farmer is our king–Mulugu employees are farmers’ servants.”
The main purpose of this initiative is to see that any farmer who goes to a government official with his grievance is treated with compassion.
“Food is essential for human survival. A farmer who works hard to cultivate the food we eat is entitled to the utmost respect equal to our parents. He worships and loves the land he tills more than his own life. It is not fair to make him go from pillar to post to get his issues cleared. We may not be able to share his hard work but the least we can do is to give him priority in government schemes and treat him with respect,” Mr Reddy opined.
Accordingly, all the officials including the collector sport a badge on their attire which conveys they are at the service of the farmers.
Air-conditioned waiting halls were set up in tahsildar offices in all the mandals and also the collector’s office. One person is assigned to guide the farmers to clear their grievances. Other farmer related services are also provided.
A smartphone application has been designed for farmers to upload their grievances.
“At the beginning of prajavani every Monday, all the officers take an oath to give the farmers first priority and give him respect and treat him like a king”, the collector said.
Three employees who implement this with conviction will be chosen every month and given incentives worth Rs 10,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 3,000. They are chosen based on the SMS votes received from farmers, their behaviour and the way they handle farmers’ issues.
