Hyderabad: The Telangana state government’s new zonal system got the approval of President Ram Nath Kovind. The new zonal system is aimed at extending 95 per cent reservations for locals in government employment. Even in the remaining 5 per cent quota, locals can compete with non-locals and secure jobs based on merit in recruitment exams. The Centre released the gazette notification on Thursday notifying the new zonal system.
The Union home ministry issued the fresh Presidential Order by amending the previous Presidential Order 1975 under Section 371-D of the Constitution. The new Presidential Order titled “Telangana Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order, 2018” has been notified by the ministry. The state government has created seven zones and two multizones by reorganising 31 districts.
School study from Class I to VII will be taken into consideration to determine local status of job aspirants. Those who studied for four years in a particular district/ zone from Class I to VII will be treated as the local of that particular district/ zone.
The new zones were created in the wake of reorganisation of districts from 10 to 31 in October 2016. On May 27 the state Cabinet approved the new zonal system and sent it to the Centre for approval. However, it has been pending since then. The CM had rushed to Delhi on May 27 to pursue the case with the PM and the Union home minister Rajnath Singh.
The Chief Minister went to Delhi again and met the Prime Minister on August 4 and explained to him about the importance of the new zonal system and the urgency for the Telangana government to implement it to ensure jobs for locals. The PM responded positively. The issuance of government recruitment notifications have been withheld due to pending approval to the new zonal system since May.
Telangana region had two zones, which were created from the erstwhile 10 districts in undivided AP in 1975, with an aim to provide equitable job opportunities for job seekers in all districts, while the other four zones are in AP covering Andhra and Rayalaseema districts. However, after the bifurcation of AP in 2014, the TS government increased the number of districts from 10 to 31 in October 2016, necessitating the creation of new zones to include the 21 new districts.
In the new system, state cadre jobs have been done away with. Direct recruitment will be done in zonal, multi-zonal and district cadres. State cadre jobs will be filled by giving promotions to staff in lower cadres. The new zonal system will ensure that locals bag all the government jobs. The new zonal system is being welcomed by employees and student organisations. AP-origin candidates who migrated to Hyderabad for higher studies and became locals would not get local reservation benefit based on their school study in AP.
In the old zonal system, there were no local reservations for state cadre jobs. In zonal-cadre jobs, 70 per cent of government jobs were reserved for locals of a particular district and 30 per cent for merit quota under which both locals and non-locals could compete.
In multi-zones, there was 60 per cent quota for locals and 40 per cent merit quota for locals and non-locals.
In district-level posts, the reservations for locals were 80 per cent and merit quota 20 per cent.
