Patna: Â Bihar plans to recruit about 80,000 Accredited Statistical Volunteers (ASVs) for collection of data in various surveys and censuses conducted in the state, an official said on Friday.
“We have already appointed 11,079 ASVs, and decided to recruit about 80,000 volunteers before the economic census in April next year,” Vijay Prakash, principal secretary, state planning and development department, told IANS here.
Prakash said the ASVs would also collect data in 8,842 panchayats in the state. “The government will take services of ASVs instead of school teachers for data collection at the panchayat level,” he said.
Bihar has decided not to engage school teachers for collection of data in periodic censuses and surveys by the central and the state governments, as it affects studies of students in the state-run schools.
“The government will train and pay ASVs as per the assignments given to them,” Prakash said.
Bihar’s Planning and Development Minister Narendra Narayan Yadav said the recent appointment of ASVs was made from a list of about 300,000 applicants, who were 12th passed.
“About 25,000 applicants were called for a training, of which 23,000 were trained for three days in agriculture data collection techniques. A written exam was conducted and all those who qualified were appointed as ASVs,” Yadav said.