GSWS - VRO as DDO Court Case on GO 2 -Govt of AP Counter Affidavit in High Court in support of VRO as DDO

GSWS VRO as DDO Court Case on GO 2 - Spl CS Ajay Jain Counter Affidavit on High Court Details. The Govt of AP has filed an counter affidavit and urged the High Court of AP to vacate the interim orders dated 12.07.2021 passed in W.P.No.10503 of 2021 and dismiss the Writ Petition in the interest of justice and pass such other order/orders as this Hon'ble Court may be deemed fit and proper in the circumstances of the case.  The Detailed Counter affidavit filed by Govt of AP in support of GO Ms No 2, VROs as DDOs for Village Secretariats. Detailed explanation and counter affidavit in WP No 10503 OF 2021 in HIGH Court of Andhra Pradesh is given below. GSWS - VRO as DDO Court Case on GO 2 -Govt of AP Counter Affidavit in High Court in support of VRO as DDO

GSWS - VRO as DDO Court Case on GO 2 -Govt of AP Counter Affidavit in High Court in support of VRO as DDO

Govt Counter on VRO as DDO in High Court -Key Points in Telugu 

ప్రభుత్వం  కౌంటర్ లో ముఖ్యమైన అంశాలు*

1. ప్రభుత్వం ప్రవేశ పెట్టిన గ్రామ వార్డు సచివాలయ వ్యవస్థ అనేది గ్రామ పంచాయతీ అనుసంధానం తప్ప ఎటువంటి 73 వ రాజ్యాంగ ఉల్లంఘన జరగలేదు.

2. సచివాలయం మరియు గ్రామ పంచాయతీ రెండు కూడా బాగా పనిచేసేందుకు,  సచివాలయ ఉద్యోగులకు విలేజ్ రెవిన్యూ ఆఫీసర్ ని డ్రాయింగ్ ఆఫీసర్ గా పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి ని తనకు తానే డ్రాయింగ్ అధికారి గా నియమించడం జరిగింది.

3. పంచాయతి కార్యదర్శి సర్పంచ్ నియంత్రణ లో, అలాగే 73 వ సవరణ ప్రకారం సంక్షేమ పథకాలు పర్యవేక్షణ సర్పంచ్  కలిగి ఉంటుంది   అని, పంచాయతి కార్యదర్శి గ్రామ సచివాలయంనకు పంచాయతీకి మధ్యలో సమన్వయకర్త గా ఉంటారని తెలిపింది. ఈ సమన్వయ కర్త (గ్రేడ్ 1-5) వారికి కౌజువల్ లీవు సర్పంచ్ గారు ఇస్తారు.

4. DDO అధికారాలకి క్వాలిఫికేషన్ కి ఎటువంటి సంబంధం ఉండదు అని పేర్కొనడం జరిగింది. అన్ని గ్రెడుల పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి లు APPSC ద్వారా రాలేదు. పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి మిగిలిన సిబ్బంది కన్నా ఎక్కువ కాదు, సుపీరియర్ కాదు, మిగిలిన సిబ్బంది పై అడ్మనిస్ట్రేటివ్ అధికారం కానీ, సర్వీసు మేటర్స్ కానీ పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి కి లేవు. వారి వారి డిపార్టుమెంటు వారీగా పని చేస్తారు. మిగిలిన ఉద్యోగుల రిక్రుర్మేoటు కూడా APPSC సహాయ సహకారాలు తోనే జరిగింది. పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి పంచాయతీ కి ఎక్సుకూటివ్ అధికారి గా ఉన్నారు. పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి క్యాజువల్ లీవు సర్పంచ్ గారు ఇస్తారు.

5. పంచాయతీ నీ సచివాలయం ను వేరు చేసాము అన్నది నిజం కాదు. పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి గ్రేడ్ (1-5) వారు Liaison Officer గా వ్యవరిస్తారు గ్రామ పంచాయతీ లో మిగిలిన రెగ్యులర్, కాంట్రాక్ట్ ,ఔట్ సోర్సింగ్ ఉద్యోగులు కి DDO గా వ్యవహరిస్తారు. VRO గారు పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి గ్రేడ్ (1-5) వారికి కాకుండా మిగిలిన సచివాలయం సిబ్బంది కి DDO గా ఉంటారు. పంచాయతీ కార్యదర్శి గ్రేడ్ (1-5) వారి కాజువల్ లీవు సర్పంచ్ ఇస్తారు.

6. గ్రామ వాలంటీర్స్ కేవలం సచివాలయం పరిధిలో పని చేస్తారు తప్ప పంచాయతికి ఎటువంటి సంబందం లేదు అని తెలిపింది.

7. పంచాయితి మరియు రెవిన్యూ వీటి అధికారాలు ఎక్కడ కూడా కలపలేదు అని 73 వ రాజ్యాంగ ఉల్లంఘన ఎక్కడ జరగలేదు అని పేర్కొంది.

Now Read the Complete Counter Affidavit

 

IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI

W.P.NO.10503 OF 2021

Between :
Turimella Krishna Mohan, S/o Ramesh, aged about 40 years, R/o. D. No.6-45/1, Thokalavanipalem, Kollur Mandal, Guntur District-522 324.
..Petitioner

AND
The State of Andhra Pradesh, Rep by its Principal Secretary, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department, A.P Secretariat, Velagapudi, Amaravati, Guntur District and 4 others.
.. Respondents

COUNTER AFFIDAVIT FILED BY Govt of AP

I, Ajay Jain, S/o. Sashi Prakash Jain, aged about 55 years Occ: Special Chief Secretary to Government (FAC), Department of Gram Volunteers / Ward Volunteers & Village Secretariats / Ward Secretariats,
A.P. Secretariat, Velagapudi, Guntur District, do hereby solemnly affirm and sincerely state on oath as follows:

1. 1 submit that I am the 2 Respondent herein and as such I am well acquainted with the facts of the case. I am deposing this affidavit on my behalf and on behalf of other official respondents as I am authorized to do so.

2. I submit that I have read the contents of the affidavit filed on behalf of the petitioner, having understood the same in reply thereto, I submit that all the averments and allegations madeare untrue, untenable and incorrect so denied, except those which are specifically admitted hereunder.

3. It is humbly submitted that before traversing the averments made in support of the Petition, it is submitted that the present writ petition itself is not maintainable under Article 226 of the Constitution as the petitioner has no locus to challenge the G.O.Ms.No.2, Dept., of GVWV & Vs/WS, dated 25.03.2021, as the petitioner failed to establish as seen from the averments in the affidavit that any of his individual or fundamental right has been infringed to challenge the impugned G. O by filing the writ petition. As such the said writ petition is liable to be dismissed in limine.

4. It is submitted that without prejudice to the above preliminary objections and adverting to the specific pleadings, it is respectfully submitted that the Government of Andhra Pradesh has established the Gram Volunteers / Ward Volunteers & Village Secretariat / Ward Secretariat Department to deliver the Government welfare schemes benefits and Government Services To the citizens at their doorsteps in a transparent and corruption free manner. The aim of the Government is to deliver welfare schemes to all eligible persons without any discrimination of caste, creed, religion, region, gender and political affiliation. Accordingly, the Government has established 15004 Village / Ward Secretariats across the State out of which 11162 are Village Secretariats. The 11 functionaries are the sanctioned and posted in Village Secretariat to perform  duties/functions assigned by the respective departments. The designations of the functionaries namely: 1. Panchayat Secretary (Grade-V) 2. Welfare &Education Assistant 3. Village Revenue Officer 4. Village Surveyor 5. Panchayat Secretary Grade – VI (Digital Assistant) 6. Village Agriculture Assistant / Horticulture Assistant 7. Village Fisheries Assistant / Veterinary Assistant 8.Village Engineering Assistant 9. Mahila Police and Women & Child Welfare Assistant 10. A.N.M. 11. Energy Assistant. 

5. It is further submitted that, the Government has not changed either the administrative structure or the Executive structure of Panchayats by issuing of G.O. Ms.No.2, GWWV & VSWS Department, dated 25.03.2021.It is not true that all grades of Panchayat Secretaries come under Group-III. Though all the posts of Village Secretariats are sanctioned by the Government and recruited through the tests conducted by the Government with the help of APPSC it does not mean that the post of Panchayat Secretary comes de-facto under Group-Ill category. It is further submitted that other functionaries working in Village Secretariats other than Panchayat Secretaries are no way inferior to Panchayat Secretaries. The employees working in the Village Secretariat are no way hither to are under the administrative control of the Panchayat Secretaries as their service matters and administrative issues are dealt by their respective departments. Whereas, the Panchayat Secretary is the executive authority of Gram Panchayat and the Sarpanch is competent authority to sanction causal leaves of regular employees of Gram Panchayat etc.

6. It is submitted that the Government has established Village Secretariats as an extension arm of the State Government for providing last mile delivery of State Government Welfare Schemes at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries on a saturation basis. Further, the Government of Andhra Pradesh envisions the Secretariats become "one stop solution to address all the requirements of the citizens and address grievances pertaining to service delivery. It is not true to state that the service rules of the staff are at the Village secretariat level, the functionaries are governed by their respective departments and their regulations service rules thereof.

7. It is respectfully submitted that the Village Secretariats are not co terminus with Gram Panchayat, however, acts only as an extension arm of the State Government. It is submitted that the total number of Village secretariats is 11,162, whereas the number of Grama Panchayats is 12,980. Population unit of above 2,000 persons is taken as the basis for provision of services by one team of functional assistants. If the Gram Panchayat population is more than 2.000 and less than 4,000 the entire Gram Panchayat is considered as 1 Village Secretariat. In case of smaller Gram Panchayats having less than 2,000 population, one Village Secretariat is provided to one or more Gram Panchayats to cater the needs of population about 2,000. In larger Gram Panchayats additional Village Secretariats are established in proportion to the population for better delivery of  services. The Services of Panchayat e Services of Panchayat Secretaries are neither disturbed nor affected due to issuance of the impugned G.O.

8. It is humbly submitted that, it is not true that the Government ignored the Panchayats, the Government issued orders on partial modification of the G.O.Ms.No.110 PR & RD (MDL-I) Department, dated 19-07-2019 and G.O.Ms. No. 149 PR &RD (MDL-I) Department, dated 30-09-2019and G.O.Ms.No.150 PR &RD (MDL-I) Department, dated 30-09-2019 to ensure better service delivery through Village Secretariat and co-ordination between Gram Panchayat and Village Secretariat in the interest of the public at large. The said G.O. stated that Panchayat Secretary shall act as executive of Gram Panchayat and function as Liaison Officer between Gram Panchayat and Village Secretariat. The Sarpanch is the competent authority to sanction casual leaves of panchayat secretary(Grade 1 to V) and existing regular Staff of Gram Panchayats etc. It is submitted that the Sarpanch's do not have any administrative control over the remaining village functionaries of the Village secretariats.

9. It is submitted that the Government has established Gram Volunteers Ward Volunteers & Village Secretariats/Ward Secretariats Department. The Village Secretariats are established only as an extension arm of the State Government for better administration and to deliver all the welfare schemes in a transparent and corruption free manner in interest of the public. It is not true that to state that the powers of the Gram Panchayat have been transferred to the V.R.O's and thus violated the provisions of the Constitution of India and the spirit of 73 Constitutional Amendment Act. The Government has entrusted Drawing and Disbursing Officer(DDO)powers to V.R.Os for better co-ordination and delivery of services and not based on the qualification. It is submitted that granting of DDO powers to VRO for functionaries other than Panchayat Secretaries does not mean violation of provisions of the Constitution in any manner. The allegation that the Panchayat secretaries have higher qualification than the Village Revenue staff and thus are better positioned to handle the administration is based on un confounded assumptions. It is submitted that 9,692 VRO's have been appointed during the years 2019 to 2021. As per the requisite qualification for the said post, the candidate should possess the academic qualifications and experience including practical experience prescribed, if any, for the post as on the date of the notification;

(Note:-* As per G.O.Ms.No 282 GAD (Ser.A) Department, dt. 20.09.2003, the candidates who possesses higher qualification than the prescribed qualification and the candidate with higher qualification without the prescribed qualification shall also be considered for selection along with candidates who have the prescribed qualification only, The selected candidates should qualify the Test i.e "Proficiency in Automation with usage of Computer and Associate Software" within 6 months In the Village Secretariats there are 11 functionaries who come from  various departments like PR&RD. Revenue, Agriculture, Medical & Health, Home, Welfare etc., but the Collector is over all Head of the District and the Chairman of the Districtlevel Selection Committee.

10. I submit that, in reply to the averment made by the petitioner in the affidavit that two parallel administrations have prevailed in the State of Andhra Pradesh. It is submitted that the Panchayat Raj Department and the Revenue Department are among many departments working in the State towards the betterment of lives of  citizens. The Village Secretariats have been established by the State only with a motive to have quick and responsive administration of  services to the public as an extension arm and to deliver the services to the citizens in a timely and transparent manner and ensure coordinated effort towards the wellbeing of citizens. The powers of the Panchayat Raj Department and Revenue Department were never clubbed together. The Village Secretariat functionaries are discharging the functions as entrusted by their respective parent departments. The entrustment of Drawing and Disbursing Officer Powers to V.R.O's is in no way assumed to have hampered the powers of Gram Panchayat and is not in violation of the Constitution and the Panchayat Raj Act.

11. It is submitted that due to issuance of G.O.Ms.No.2. no functions or powers of the Gram Panchayat are affected and the said G.O. has indeed stated that the Panchayat Secretary shall act as Executive Officer of the Gram Panchayat and shall function as Liaison Officer between Gram Panchayat and Village Secretariat and the sarpanch is the competent authority to sanction the casual leave of the Panchayat Secretary (Grade 1 to V) and existing Regular staff of Gram Panchayat. It is misconceived and untrue to aver that the Village Sarpanch shall function under supervision of V.R.O. It is further submitted that every functionary has to perform the roles and responsibilities entrusted by their respective parent Departments and no provision has been made in the G.O.Ms.No.2 to draw the salaries of Gram Panchayat staff by the V.R.O. The Panchayat Secretary Grade I to V is the Drawing and Disbursing Officer for himself / herself and existing panchayat staff (Regular / Outsourcing / Contractual Staff) of Gram Panchayat. The V.R.O's is Drawing Officer for all functionaries in Village Secretariat except Panchayat Secretary Grade (1 to V) and existing panchayat staff (Regular / Outsourcing / Contractual Staff). The Grama Volunteers are only attach are only attached to Village Secretariats but not to the Grama Panchayats. Moreover, the Volunteers are positioned for delivery of services and to support the Village Secretariat Functionaries while delivering of services. It can in no way be construed as encroaching the duties and the functions of Panchayat Sarpanch's.

12. Further, it is not true to state that the Gram Panchayat functions and powers were taken and entrusted to either Village Secretariats or Revenue Department. No Gram Panchayat powers are transferred to V.R.O's and it cannot be construed as if the State Government is taking away the Panchayat Administration. It is also not true that the issuance of G.O.Ms.No.2 dated 25.03.2021 is contrary against the spirit of the Constitution under Article 243G and also AP Panchayat Raj Act, 1994.

For the reasons stated in the accompanying counter affidavit, it is therefore prayed that this Hon'ble High court may be pleased to vacate the interim orders dated 12.07.2021 passed in W.P.No.10503 of 2021 and dismiss the Writ Petition in the interest of justice and pass such other order/orders as this Hon'ble Court may be deemed fit and proper in the circumstances of the case.

Solemnly and sincerely affirmed at Amaravati before this the 30th day of October, 2021 and signed in my presence.
Deponent Principal Secretary to Government Department of Gram Volunteers / Ward Volunteers and Village Secretariats/ Ward Secretariats, A.P. Secretariat, Velagapudi, AMARAVATI - 522 238.

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