An AP Village Revenue Officer (VRO) is the primary revenue official at the village level in Andhra Pradesh responsible for maintaining Pahani Patrika (record of rights and cultivation), mutation records, and land tax demand/collection registers. VROs conduct Kharif and Rabi Pahani surveys to record crop details, ownership, and cultivation status for every agricultural land parcel in their jurisdiction. They assist in issuance of income, caste, and residence certificates through Mee Seva kiosks, survey land boundaries, assess crop damage for disaster compensation, and support implementation of AP government schemes like YSR Rythu Bharosa.

Pahani Patrika is Andhra Pradesh's equivalent of the 7/12 record or Khatauni — a comprehensive land record document showing survey number, extent of land, classification (wet/dry/garden), ownership, occupancy rights, cultivation details, water source, and any encumbrances. It is maintained season-wise (Kharif and Rabi) to reflect current cultivation. AP has digitized Pahani records through the AP Meebhoomi portal where citizens can access records online. VROs update Pahani records after field verification, record mutations after verification of legal documents, and correct errors through prescribed procedures approved by the Tahsildar.

The AP VRO exam tests the Andhra Pradesh Rights in Land and Pattadar Pass Books Act 1971 (issuance of pattadar passbooks), AP Land Revenue Act, AP Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) Act 1977 (restrictions on assigned government land), AP Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, and relevant central laws including Transfer of Property Act 1882 and Registration Act 1908. Questions cover procedures for Dharani portal entries (AP's integrated property management portal), prohibited properties, mutation procedures, and rights of scheduled caste beneficiaries under land assignment schemes.

Dharani is Andhra Pradesh's integrated land records management portal introduced to digitize and streamline all land-related services. It handles mutations, registrations, and certificate issuance through a single platform. VROs play a crucial role in the Dharani ecosystem by verifying field-level details, updating Pahani records, initiating mutation requests based on registered documents, and resolving disputes in assigned boundary areas. The portal aims to eliminate manual intervention in revenue processes, reduce corruption, and provide real-time land records to citizens. VRO exam questions increasingly test knowledge of the Dharani portal's workflow.

An AP Village Revenue Officer receives a basic pay in the pay scale of Rs. 18,000–36,000 approximately, with gross monthly salary of approximately Rs. 22,000–28,000 including DA and HRA. Field allowance for village visits and rural service allowance for remote area postings are additional benefits. The in-hand salary is approximately Rs. 19,000–25,000 per month. Career progression leads to Revenue Inspector, Mandal Revenue Inspector, and Deputy Tahsildar levels through departmental promotions. AP government has been revising pay scales to attract talent to village-level revenue administration posts.