Telangana award seekers lobby with MPs
Teachers want award for just having participated in statehood agitation
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-05-30 07:16 GMT
Hyderabad: The Telangana Awards, to be presented to individuals in 18 categories for their contribution to their respective fields on the occasion of the first anniversary of the TS Formation Day, have evoked lukewarm response.
The district administrations have failed to take up publicity campaigns and individuals and staff in the departments are mostly unaware of the awards. Instead of submitting individual applications at the district-level, mentioning their achievements in government and social services, aspirants are routing their applications through ministers, MLAs, MLCs, MPs etc., seeking recommendation letters. Thus the intention of the TS government to encourage merit in selection of awards has failed to serve the purpose.
District-level selection committees, headed by collectors, had been formed and applicants were asked to submit their applications. While few are aware of this due to lack of publicity campaigns, those who know of it are approaching public representatives and the Secretariat to submit applications and seeking recommendation letters.
“Most applicants for the best teacher awards are coming to us on the ground that they took active part in the TS agitation since 2009. Though we are trying to convince them that these awards are not about the agitation, they refuse to see the point and are demanding awards,” said a teacher MLC. And with no proper guidelines for selecting the recipients, even the officials are confused about how to select the winners among the applicants.