Karnataka VAO case studies
Karnataka VAO · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Karnataka Village Administrative Officer (VAO) recruitment examination is the selection test used to fill village-level administrative posts in the state revenue administration. A VAO works at the grassroots-maintaining village records, supporting land revenue work, issuing certificates, and coordinating with panchayat and taluk offices-so the exam is designed for candidates who can handle both general awareness and routine administrative detail. The Karnataka VAO case studies are 5 cases and about 3,618 words.
1Allocating a Gram Panchayat's Fifteenth Finance Commission grants among six competing demands
Basavapura Gram Panchayat (6,000 people, 1,200 households) has for the year ₹9.20 lakh of untied and ₹7.40 lakh of tied Fifteenth Finance Commission grants, plus ₹2.10 lakh of own revenue. The PDO places six demands before the Grama Sabha: (i) ₹4.50 lakh to repair the pipeline serving Wards 1 to 3; (ii) ₹3.20 lakh to renovate 40 household toilets; (iii) ₹5.00 lakh for a road to the burial ground; (iv) ₹2.40 lakh for LED street lights; (v) ₹3.80 lakh for a borewell in the Ward 7 Scheduled Caste colony, where 60 households walk 1.2 km for water; (vi) ₹0.90 lakh for an office computer and printer.
762 words, about 4 min2MGNREGA: delayed work, an inflated muster roll and a request for lighter work
On 1 August, 25 households of a Karnataka village submitted written demands for work under MGNREGA. The notified wage rate is ₹310 per day.
736 words, about 4 min3Choosing between two wards for a ₹3 lakh water connection grant
A Gram Panchayat's household survey covers six wards. Households: W1 240, W2 190, W3 300, W4 160, W5 220, W6 90.
670 words, about 3 min4Two contaminated sources, ₹40,000 and a bag of bleaching powder
Two drinking-water sources serve a village of 2,400 people. The borewell near the school tests at 1.8 mg/L fluoride and 0.9 mg/L iron.
676 words, about 3 min5Cleaning 1,200 beneficiary rows and emailing them safely
The Panchayat Development Officer asks the Village Accountant to compile 1,200 beneficiaries from three sources - a spreadsheet kept in the Gram Panchayat office, a pen drive brought by an ASHA worker, and handwritten muster sheets - and email the list to the Block Development Officer by 5 p.m. The office has one desktop with the shared login 'GP-ADMIN', no UPS, and unreliable power.
774 words, about 4 min