Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal to fix a cut-off date local status which was sent for the Government of India (GoI) approval has run into rough weather. Earlier, AP government was suggested that the issue of local status needed amendment needed a constitutional amendment to the Presidential Orders of 1975 and it can not be done with an executive order. However, in the wake of the state government employees raising questions of local status, the government in a cabinet meeting had resolved that June 2, 2017, as the cut-off date for local status.

Hyderabad: A proposal to fix June 2, 2017, as a cut-off date to confirm local status for whoever relocate to any of the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh ran into rough weather. The whole episode of local status had come to the fore following the state government asking its employees to relocate to the capital region by June 1, 2016.

Taking objections to this, the employee had asked the government that their children would lose the local status as per the Presidential Orders of 1975, and they will not be eligible for government jobs either in Telangana or in Andhra Pradesh. Following this, the state government had called for a cabinet meeting and resolved to seek the Centre to bring in an amendment to the existing provisions in the Presidential Orders that stipulate the criteria for the local status.

The Presidential Orders prescribe that in the case of taking admissions in educational institutions, a study of four years prior to the date seeking admission decides the local status. Similarly, in the case of applying for jobs, a seven years study in a place prior to the date of applying for a job decides the local status of a candidate.

It was against this backdrop that the employees sought the government to give a clarification on the issue, before asking to move to Vijayawada. Agreeing to it as a genuine concern in October 2015, the government had sought the GoI to bring an amendment to the existing provisions of the local status in the Presidential Orders.

Accordingly, whoever relocate to any place in the present Andhra Pradesh from any place falling in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh on or before June 2, 2017, would be given local status. This was mainly meant to ensure that the employees and their children were protected with local status in education and for government jobs.

However, this did not go well with tens and thousands of others who have been living in Hyderabad and wanted to go back, but not able to do so due to lack of opportunities back in the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Aggrieved over the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision tens and thousands of people had sent their petitions to the Union Home Ministry, questioning the rationale of the decision. Taking cognizance of the same, the Union Home Minister had, in turn, asked the AP as to how could it unilaterally take a decision, a year after the bifurcation of the state and fix a cut-off date for local status on relocation. How could the state government expect other people who are engaged in other vocations to shift within such a short period? Whether they would not be put under disadvantage? Above it of all, the Union Home Ministry learnt to have conveyed to the state that it would not be possible to bring amendments just like to the Presidential Orders through an executive order. If done, then it would be open for judicial review and thus, the state government’s move will meet with no success, they cautioned. As things stood there, now the state government is trying to figure out the ways and means on how to protect the local status interests of the employees.