Andhra Pradesh softens stand, willing for category-wise staff exchange

Hyderabad: The AP government has written to the TS government expressing its willingness to exchange Secretariat employees category-wise.

AP ministers committee convener and Principal Secretary (State Reorganisation) L. Premachandra Reddy has sent a letter to this effect to his TS counterpart K. Ramakrishna Rao in this regard.

While 182 employees working in TS government have opted for AP, 888 employees working in AP government have opted for TS.

The AP government has proposed that these employees be exchanged on the basis of cadre. For example, a director-level should be exchanged with an employee holding same level post in the other state.

However, the TS government had objected to this, and wanted the exchanges be done on numerical basis. For example the same number of employees from both states be exchanged, irrespective of their posts or ranks.

Thus far, the AP government was not in favour of such an exchange but it appears that it has had a change of heart.

The latest proposal from AP is that the employees are exchanged on category basis. For example if TS government takes one gazetted officer from AP, AP will take one gazetted officer from TS.

As of now, the AP government is waiting for a response from TS. AP officials said that if TS accepts this proposal, the exchange process will commence.