15% Reservation Scrapped for Non-Locals in Andhra Colleges

Andhra Pradesh Govt's Decision Comes Months After the Telangana Government Issued Similar Orders on Feb 27

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday scrapped the decade-long practice to earmark 15% seats in the state's professional, degree, and post-graduate colleges for students from Telangana and other states.

According to the Monday order, signed by secretary (higher education) Kona Sasidhar and accessed by HT, all seats in higher education and technical education colleges would be reserved for students from Andhra Pradesh starting this academic year.

The 15% reservation for non-locals was made under Section 95 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, that required government and private institutions of higher education in the state to admit local and non-local students in the ratio of 85:15 for a period of 10 years from June 2, 2014.

The change in policy was made after the AP State Council of Higher Education reported that the government should protect the interests of the state's students seeking admission to various undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses in engineering, technology, pharmacy, architecture, Pharm D, Business Administration, Computer Applications, Law, Education and Physical Education colleges.