Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India] May 12 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced on Monday that the state government is committed to creating 100 per cent reservation for local tribals in Agency areas in government jobs, according to an official statement.
Discussing with the officials, during a review meeting on Tribal Welfare, on the steps to be taken to restore the GO No 3 which was cancelled during the judicial review, the Chief Minister recalled that the GO was issued in the combined Andhra Pradesh in the year 2000 to provide 100 per cent reservation for the local tribals in government jobs. In 2020, the Chief Minister directed the officials to study the possibilities to restore the GO by following the guidelines and norms set by the Supreme Court, as stated in a press release
Pointing out that through the GO issued in 1986, the Girijans were provided with a 100 per cent quota in Agency areas for teacher posts, Chandrababu Naidu said that following some legal tangles, GO No. 3 was issued in the year 2000, taking women's reservation into consideration. After its implementation, Girijans got 4,626 teacher posts in Agency areas, he added.
The Chief Minister said that some people took legal recourse in 2002 to challenge GO No. 3, and the Supreme Court revoked the order in 2020 after hearing at various stages. However, as the previous government delayed abnormally filing a review petition on this, the apex court dismissed the appeal, too, after which the Girijans lost the benefits available through GO No. 3.
The press release further stated that Chandrababu promised the tribals to either restore GO No. 3 or do justice to them on similar lines during electioneering. Following this, the Chief Minister discussed with the officials the developments post-revocation of the GO and also the steps to be adopted to restore the benefits that the Girijans received after the GO was issued.
The meeting focused on the opportunities available in agency areas to provide a 100 per cent quota for government jobs for tribals and the available possibilities and obstructions per the law. The Chief Minister directed the officials to gather the opinion of the tribals and Girijan unions on the restoration of GO No. 3.
The officials explained three options available for restoring the GO. The first option, they said, is providing 100 per cent reservation to local Girijans. The second option is providing a quota to the tribals as per their population ratio. The third is to protect the rights of the tribals by providing reservations not beyond 50 per cent to local tribals, as advised by the Supreme Court.
Responding to this, the Chief Minister said that the State Government is committed to protecting the rights of Girijans. As promised during electioneering, GO No. 3 should be restored or do justice on the same lines.
"Discussions should be held with legal and Constitutional experts at the national level," Chandrababu suggested.
To improve the living standards of Girijans, the state government is implementing special welfare schemes for them, in addition to providing education and health facilities, the chief minister said. He added that there is no question of leaving any opportunity available to do justice to tribals.