Hyderabad, Aug.7 (NSS): Former minister and MLA Harish Rao today said the State government’s handling of affairs is like a bull in a china shop—there is no clarity on any issue, and there is no consideration for the future of the students. He said with the recent government order issued by the Medical Education Department regarding MBBS admissions, there is a risk that Telangana students might be considered non-locals in their own State.
Speaking to media persons at BRS bhavan on Wednesday, he said former CM KCR had fulfilled aspirations for water, jobs, and funds. Before Telangana’s formation, 40% of jobs were secured by non-locals, but now 95% of jobs are allocated to Telangana residents, thanks to GO 124. According to the bifurcation law, education admissions were supposed to maintain a 15% open competition for ten years, following the old method from the unified State. In 1979, GO 644 established local status for educational admissions for Andhra, Telangana, and Rayalaseema, preventing non-local students from gaining opportunities in these areas. Following the 2014 State bifurcation, it was specified in GO No. 114 that the old rules should continue for ten years based on the residential order.
Under KCR’s government, MBBS seats have increased from 2,850 to 9,000. The 15% open competition quota was only implemented in colleges that existed before the formation of Telangana. In the newly established colleges, 100% of the seats were allocated to Telangana students, which resulted in an additional 520 seats for our students. “We brought a GO to ensure that seats in the B category in private medical colleges were given to local students, resulting in 1,071 seats in 24 colleges for Telangana students. We undertook these measures with the desire to see our students become doctors.
However, the continuation of old provisions under the bifurcation law has expired in 2024. Now, we must develop a comprehensive new policy to ensure local status for admissions. The new GO states that students will be considered locals if they have studied four years in a place prior to Intermediate, while the old rule required a minimum of seven years of study. This government has changed the requirement from seven to four years.
Under this new regulation, wouldn’t Telangana students who study Intermediate for two years in another state or go for long-term coaching become non-locals? Our Telangana students are pursuing MBBS in other states and countries. Wouldn’t they be considered non-locals for PG seats under this new regulation? Like Tamil Nadu, rules should be framed such that to secure an MBBS seat, one must have studied there from grades six to ten, with parents having permanent residence. Karnataka and Kerala have their own regulations.
Telangana also needs its own rules. Forming a committee with the Chief Secretary and other senior officials to develop a policy will provide guidance to all educational institutions. Since Hyderabad was a joint capital for ten years, we continued the old method as per the parliamentary law. Even though the ten-year period has ended, why is the state government still continuing the old method? In the original order by the President, only the first paragraph was retained, while others were omitted. When we had the authority, we brought in the rule that 95% of jobs should be given to locals. Although there’s an opportunity to allocate 95% of admissions to locals, the government has not focused on this issue. Amendments should be made to GO 33 immediately.
We urge the government to act swiftly. We are ready to provide suggestions if an all-party meeting is called on this issue. The Congress government is as fragile as a candle in the wind. What are the officials of the Medical Education Department doing? The government must form a committee immediately. We request amendments to the GO to protect the future of Telangana students.
