Highlights of the AP Reorganisation Bill:
- The AP Reorganisation Bill 2013 envisages creation of a Telangana state with 10 districts from the existing Andhra Pradesh.
- GHMC area will be common capital for 10 years
- Assets and liabilities will shared as per the population ratio of 58.32 per cent for Andhra Pradesh and 41.68 per cent for Telangana based on the 2011 census.
- New capital for AP to be decided within 45 days of notifying the creation of two states.
- Common Governor for two states who will control law and order in the common capital
Admission quota increased to 10 years:
The Centre has enhanced the time limit for the existing admission quota and common admission process in higher, technical and medical education in the two successor states of AP and Telangana from five years to 10 years.
This is a major change in the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013 sent by President Pranab Mukherjee to the state Assembly from the draft Bill that was approved by the Union Cabinet.
The change was made at the instance of Union HRD minister M.M. Pallam Raju. This will let AP students to avail seats in the 20 per cent open category in Telangana education institutes and vice versa.
RS seats to be divided between AP and T:
The AP Reorganisation Bill 2013 has envisaged that sitting Rajya Sabha members will be allotted to two states based on draw of lots by the Rajya Sabha chairman.
This means that Union tourism minister K. Chiranjeevi, who is vociferous in his demands for a united state, may end up representing Telangana.
Similar is the case of Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao (Congress), Y.S. Chow-dary and C.M. Ramesh, both from Telugu Desam, who are all battling for a united state. Meanwhile, strong supporters of a Telangana state like Palvai Govardhan Reddy and Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar might be spending their funds for the development of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.
As many as seven seats were allotted to Telan-gana and 11 to Andhra Pradesh and leaders from the respective regions will fully occupy these seats only after 2018.
TD prints Tamil Nadu instead of AP:
Telugu Desam has been making a hue and cry about the Centre rushing the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013. Pn Monday, TD leaders pointed out to reference of Tamil Nadu in the Bill in some places as evidence.
Without doing any home work, the TD leaders rushed to the media alleging that the Centre had printed Tamil Nadu inadvertently instead of “Andhra Pradesh.”
In reality, however, the Centre referred to TN in the context of including the name of the new state, Telangana, after it in alphabetical order.
Centre to control certain projects:
The Centre has also made it clear, in language usage, which of the promises it had made to the two successor states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana would be fulfilled. For projects, which are either already launched or announced, the Centre has confidently stated that “the Government of India shall take steps” or “shall develop”, as in the case with the second major port in Duggarajupatnam.
In other cases, like the integrated steel plant in Khammam, NTPC 4000 MW power plant in Telangana state or oil refineries and the Vizag-Chennai industrial corridor, the Bill states that “the Centre shall examine the feasibility” of such projects.
