CM Kiran’s double-game continues: Initiates AP division exercise!

Despite chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s persistent claims that the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh has not been initiated, the state government has already kick-started the division exercise.

In a memo to all chiefs of public sector units, training centres and heads of department written two days ago, chief secretary P K Mohanty asked them to furnish the list of divisible assets, liabilities, workforce and the location of their offices in the districts.

Along with the memo, Mohanty sent a copy of the draft AP reorganization Bill 2013. The memo has asked the PSU chiefs to go through Schedules 9 and 10 of the Bill. While Schedule 9 deals with the list of organizations that will be divided between the two states, Schedule 10 relates to the organizations that will be common to both states for the time being.

This is to keep everything ready for the division by the time President Pranab Mukherjee gives his assent to AP Reorganization Bill 2013, sources said.

“The state government is gathering information of the assets of various PSUs so that by the time the Bill gets presidential assent, separate boards and offices can be set up for the two states. Clearly the state government is taking steps to divide the assets and workforce of united AP,” a principal secretary told TOI.

According to the sources, the state government is going ahead with the bifurcation process assuming that the division begins with the President sending the Bill to the state assembly.

“The assembly may be engaged in the politics of bifurcation, but the bureaucracy has to go ahead with the division of assets and liabilities. The instructions we have received is that the division of assets and liabilities should be completed by January 23, the deadline given to the assembly to return the Bill to the President,” an official said.

According to Mohanty, the state officials are carrying out the exercise as per the instructions of the Centre. “The government of India had asked us to check whether the entities listed under the 9th and 10th schedules of the Bill are proper or whether they need changes. Accordingly, I have asked the PSU chiefs and department heads to furnish the information. It is a routine process,” Mohanty said.

According to section 75 (1) of the Bill, all the institutions and organizations listed under the tenth schedule will continue to provide services to the people of both states “for such period and upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon between the two state governments”.

Once the various PSU chiefs and department heads send their list of institutions, the final list of entities under the two schedules could be revised, sources said.

In another development, the General Administration Department has started asking employees to self-declare their native place. GAD is said to have asked the heads of the department to take self-declaration from the employees under his or her jurisdiction that should include details such as native place, date of joining the department, pay scale and so on.

Source: ToI