Post Guv orders, State to map all posts in H-K region

The State government will begin ‘mapping’ of all posts and institutions in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region for reservation to the local population once Governor H R Bhardwaj issues orders for implementation of special status under Article 371 (J) of the Constitution.

According to senior officials in the State government, the ball is now in Raj Bhavan’s court with President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday issuing the State of Karnataka (Special Responsibility of Governor for Hyderabad-Karnataka region) Order, 2013.  The officials said exercising the powers under the presidential order, the Governor will have to issue three different orders to implement the provision of Article 371 (J) of the Constitution.

Article 371 (J) provides for establishing a separate development board and equitable allocation of funds for development of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region comprising the six districts of comprises Gulbarga, Yadgir, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal and Bellary.

It also provides for quota in public employment through local cadres and reservation in education and vocational training institutions for those who belong to the region by birth or by domicile. The officials said mapping of posts for reservation will be a tedious exercise as each department and all cadres will have be considered.

Different quotas

A cabinet sub-committee headed by Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil has recommended different quotas for local population in employment and education both inside and outside the Hyderabad-Karnataka zone (See box).

  The drafts of the three orders — The Development Boards for Hyderabad-Karnataka Region Order; The Karnataka Public Employment (Reservation in Appointment for Hyderabad-Karnataka Region) Order and the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission in the Hyderabad-Karnataka Region) Order have been prepared by the government.

Reservation

According to the drafts, the local population of the region can get reservation in State-level institutions like secretariat of the government, secretariat of legislative assembly and council, officers of Karnataka High Court, all corporations including Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority and similar institutions in the capital city.

In education, the local population can get reservation in state-wide universities like Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, Women’s University, Bijapur, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore and Dharwad among others.

The drafts states that  H-K Board will have 13-members including one member of parliament and three MLAs whose electoral constituencies lie within the jurisdiction of the region. The government will nominate the members on a two-year rotation basis.

The panel will also have the president of one of the zilla panchayats of the six districts, again nominated on a two-year rotation basis. Among others, it will have five experts, one each from the fields of planning, finance, irrigation and public works, agriculture and industry, education and employment.

One of the members will be made chairperson. One of the first tasks of the Board, which will have constitutional status, is to identify disparities in development in different sectors in the region and suggest the quantum of grants required to bring the region on a par with the rest of the state.

The officials said the Governor has the powers to make changes in the drafts before issuing the final orders.