Increase Direct Recruitment Quota: AE Association
The power sector has evolved rapidly with automation
Hyderabad: The Telangana State Electricity Assistant Engineers’ Association (TSEAEA) has urged the state government to increase direct recruitment in the Assistant Engineers (AE) cadre in Telangana power utilities.
It states that existing service regulations, inherited from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board (APSEB) decades ago, are outdated and misaligned with current technological needs. Back then, limited engineering education made diploma holders essential, but today, graduate engineers are available due to expanded engineering education and colleges.
TSEAEA president G. Pavan Kumar said that the diploma holders were favored during 1970 to 2010, slashing direct recruitment for graduates to just 40% of vacancies. The rest go to in-service employees, many lacking BE or BTech degrees. In contrast, distribution firms like TGSPDCL and TGNPDCL fill all junior lineman posts via direct recruitment, making the AE cap inconsistent.
Pavan highlighted that sub-engineer direct recruitment has stalled for years, instead, diploma holders from lower cadres transfer without exams. The association argues this certificate-based induction, bypassing competition, deviates from practices in other power utilities, PSUs, or technical organisations.
The power sector has evolved rapidly with automation, digital substations, smart grids, advanced protection and complex regulations—demanding engineers with robust academics, current knowledge, and merit-based selection. TSEAEA seeks 80% direct recruitment for AEs to inject talent, boosting efficiency and sustainability in Telangana utilities.
The association submitted representations to the Special Chief Secretary, energy department and chairman/managing directors of TGTransco, TGGenco, TGSPDCL and TGNPDCL.
