Telangana unlikely to be discussed in tomorrow's Cabinet meet

Telangana issue is unlikely to come up in the meeting of the Union Cabinet tomorrow.

A top Home Ministry official said no note has been prepared yet to be placed before tomorrow's scheduled meeting of the Cabinet to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

After yesterday's decision of Congress Working Committee to recommend to the central government to form the 29th state, bifurcating Andhra Pradesh, it was widely speculated that the Cabinet will take up the issue in its next meeting.

It is said the Cabinet has to initiate the process for the formation of Telangana by first creating a Group of Ministers (GoM) to go into economic issues on creation of the new state.

The official said preparing a Cabinet note on such a far- reaching issue takes time and needs wider consultation and cannot be done in haste.

There has been indication from the top government functionary that the Centre may wait for adoption of a resolution in Andhra Pradesh Assembly before the Union Cabinet takes up the issue for consideration, the official said.

Besides, creation of Telangana state will take close to six months as it involves a number of steps, including adoption of state Re-organisation bill by Parliament by a simple majority.

When the Union Cabinet takes up the Telangana issue, it will give an in-principle approval for creation of a Group of Ministers (GoM) comprising Ministers of Home, Finance, HRD, Health, Irrigation, Power, Environment and Forests, Railways and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission to go into the economic issues on creation of the new state.

The Home Ministry is likely to prepare the note to the Union Cabinet for creation of Telanagana on the basis of the proposal received from the state government.