Title: T. Harish Rao Urges Telangana Government to Amend GO 33 and Call All-Party Meeting
Hyderabad: Former Health Minister T. Harish Rao has raised concerns over the recent GO 33 issued by the Medical Education Department, which he argues could disadvantage Telangana students by classifying them as non-locals for MBBS admissions. Rao has called for an all-party meeting to address the issue and suggested that the government amend GO 33 after constituting a committee to review the matter.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Rao criticized the state government’s handling of the situation, likening it to a “bull in a china shop” due to a lack of clarity and foresight regarding students’ futures. He emphasized that, according to the bifurcation law of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, admissions should have maintained a 15% open competition quota for ten years following the state’s formation.
Rao referenced GO 644 from 1979, which established local status criteria for admissions in Andhra, Telangana, and Rayalaseema, and GO 124 from 2014, which continued the previous rules for a decade. He noted that while non-locals previously held 40% of jobs, this percentage shifted to 95% in favor of Telangana residents under GO 124.
The former minister explained that the 15% open competition quota applied only to pre-existing colleges, while new institutions allocated 100% of seats to local students, adding 520 additional seats for Telangana students. Under the previous BRS government, MBBS seats in Telangana increased from 2,850 to 9,000, with GO provisions ensuring that private medical colleges reserved 1,071 seats for local students.
Rao criticized the recent changes under GO 33, which now requires students to have studied for four years in one place to be considered local, compared to the previous seven-year requirement. He expressed concern that this could label Telangana students who studied outside the state or pursued long-term coaching as non-locals, potentially affecting their eligibility for postgraduate seats.
Drawing a comparison with Tamil Nadu’s regulations, Rao suggested that a policy be implemented requiring students to have studied from grades six to ten within the state to qualify for MBBS seats. He questioned why the old provisions continued beyond the ten-year period stipulated by the parliamentary law and urged the state government to form a committee and amend GO 33 to protect the interests of Telangana students.
Rao criticized the Congress government’s perceived lack of action and called for immediate steps to address the issue, inviting BRS leaders to provide input if an all-party meeting is convened.
