Hyderabad: The TRS government is thinking of revisiting the definition of “local candidate” in education, to ensure that genuine Telangana students don’t lose out on the fee reimbursement scheme in the state.
There are lakhs of students of Andhra Pradesh origin whose parents have settled in Hyderabad, and who satisfy the criteria as local candidates. It is learnt that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao wants to make sure Telangana students benefit from the fee reimbursement scheme and that they don’t lose to competition from Andhra Pradesh students, for which the ‘local candidate’ definition will have to be changed.
The BJP, however, says that it is not right to seek a change in the provisions of the Reorganisation Act after having agreed to its clauses. The Telangana government had stated on Monday that it will reimburse fees of only Telangana students. With many AP students settled in Hyderabad, students from Telangana may lose out in the competition for a place in the elite colleges in Hyderabad. Moreover, the Telangana government does not want to pay the fees of Andhra students falling under the Telangana local quota.
According to the Presidential Order, a candidate will be deemed local if he or she has studied in Telangana consecutively for four years till the qualifying examination, i.e. the Eamcet or Intermediate second year in this case. It is easy for many students hailing from Andhra to fulfil this criterion.
BJP Legislature Party leader Dr K. Laxman said that the government can’t renege after agreeing to the 10 years common education system clause in the Reorganisation Bill.
“The local definition is defined in the Presidential Order and the GO issued by the government. Many students will lose out if new criteria for nativity are decided,” he said.
Dr Laxman further explained, “They can’t change the local candidate definition just like that. Article 371D is also there and it requires a Constitutional amendment. Even then, when you have agreed to 10- year common education system, you can’t go back.”
