Centre reviews progress in establishing institutions in AP, division of assets

Days after two TDP ministers quit the Narendra Modi government, the Centre today reviewed the progress of establishing central higher education institutes in Andhra Pradesh as well as division of assets of state PSUs, officials said.
The review meeting was chaired by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar and Principal Resident Commissioner of the Telangana government, G Ashok Kumar.
"The union home secretary reviewed the Schedule 13 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act which is related to establishment of higher education institutes.
"The meeting also reviewed Schedule 9 and 1o of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act which relates to division of assets and liabilities of undivided Andhra Pradesh," the Andhra Pradesh chief secretary told reporters here.

Another official said the union home secretary has assured that the proposals (draft Bills) for establishing a central university and a horticulture university in Andhra Pradesh would be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval before being tabled in Parliament.
As per the Schedule 13 of the Act, Government of India shall take steps to establish institutions of national importance in the 12th and 13th Plan periods in the successor state of Andhra Pradesh.

This would include one IIT, one NIT, one IIM, one IISER, one Central University, one Petroleum University, one Agricultural University and one IIIT.
It also says that the Government of India shall establish one AIIMS-type super-specialty hospital-cum-teaching institution in the successor state of Andhra Pradesh, a Tribal University each in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and a Horticulture University in Telangana besides others.

The Schedule 9 of the Act listed the state undertakings like the Andhra Pradesh State Seeds Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Agro Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd besides others.
The Schedule 10 of the Act lists training centres and institutions like Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Union, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology, Andhra Pradesh Study Circle for Backward Classes besides others.
Reports say Andhra Pradesh has been arguing that most of the 107 institutions listed under schedule 10 are located in Hyderabad and they should be divided between the two successor states as per the State Reorganisation Act and jointly allowed to have access to services of these institutions, Telangana has been emphasising that they belonged to the state in whose territory they are located and their services could be availed through coordination between the two governments.

Two representatives of the TDP in the Modi government - Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Y S Chowdary - had resigned on March 8 alleging that the central government has failed to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.