Telangana Govt threatens to terminate outsourced AEOs over digital crop survey

The State government had roped in 300 AEOs, which included more than 200 women, on an outsourcing basis four years ago to carry out extension works at the grassroots level

Siddipet: With regular agriculture extension officers (AEOs) refusing to take the digital crop survey, the State government is focusing on getting the job done by outsourced AEOs, threatening to terminate them unless they took up the survey.

The State government had roped in 300 AEOs, which included more than 200 women, on an outsourcing basis four years ago to carry out extension works at the grassroots level. The outsourced AEOs were paid Rs.20,000 per month as salary while regular AEOs were drawing up to Rs.50,000 depending on their experience.

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While the regular AEOs were paid salaries every month, the outsourced AEOs were paid once every four months. As the regular AEOs refused to take up digital surveys of crops, the government is now trying to use outsourced AEOs services for the work.

The regular AEOs had presented a memorandum to the district agriculture office in Siddipet expressing their unwillingness to take up the digital crop survey.

Speaking to Telangana Today, outsourced AEO Radhika said 200 out of 300 outsourced AEOs working across the State were women. Since they would need to travel to remote places located in isolated areas for crop surveys, she said it would be very difficult for them to take up the survey.

Another outsourced AEO Rohit urged the government to release the salaries on regular basis besides providing insurance. While they would take care of the entire Rythu Bima for all the farmers in their cluster, Rohit said the outsourced AEOs would get nothing even if they die while discharging duties.

Outsourced AEOs also met district agriculture officers and Collectors in their respective districts to submit representations in this regard. They were also planning to meet the Commissioner of Agriculture soon.