Centre working for conclusion on Telangana issue: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said the Telangana Bill is at an advanced stage, and added that the government is working towards bringing it to a conclusion as early as possible.

"We cannot say if Telangana bill will come in this Winter Session or not. The preparations for Telangana bill are in an advanced stage. Group of Ministers (GoM) met yesterday, and they are meeting today as well. The Government is working to bring a conclusion as early as possible," he told media here today.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who heads the Group of Ministers, said on Tuesday that there was an inconclusive discussion and the GoM would meet again on Wednesday.

Earlier on November 18, GoM completed the process of discussions with various stakeholders from the Telangana, Seemandhra and Rayalaseema region.

The Supreme Court had earlier refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the Union Cabinet's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to carve out a separate Telangana state.

The Group of Ministers was constituted to address all the issues that need resolution at the central and state government levels in the matter.

On October 3, the Union Cabinet had decided to go ahead with the process for the creation of a separate Telangana state carved out from Andhra Pradesh.