KCR to take up zonal system with PM

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will leave for Delhi on Thursday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed Mr Modi’s appointment on Friday.

Mr Rao had planned to meet Mr Modi to take up various pending issues with the Centre, the most important being the amendment to the Presi-dential Order to implement the new zonal system to ensure 95 per cent reservations for locals in jobs and education.

Ahead of his visit to Delhi, the Chief Minister met Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan late on Wednesday and briefed him about his trip.

The Cabinet on May 27 had approved the new zonal system categorising 31 districts into seven zones and two multizones. In each zone, 95 per cent of the jobs will be reserved for locals and five per cent for open category.

The Centre’s nod is a must for bringing in the new zonal system as the Presidential Order issued in 1975 in undivided AP needs to be amended.

The Chief Minister had rushed to Delhi to meet Mr Modi soon after the Cabinet meet on May 27 but returned as he could not get an appointment due to Mr Modi’s foreign tour.

The CM met Union home minister Rajnath Singh on May 27 and submitted a represenation seeking amendment to the Presidential Order before returning to Hyderabad.

With no progress on this issue later, Mr Rao wanted to meet Mr Modi again and take up the issue personally.

He is expected to take up other bifurcation related issues like division of common institutions listed under Schedule IX and X of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, handing over government buildings vacated by the AP government in Hyderabad to the Telangana state government, bifurcation of AP Bhavan in Delhi and setting up of steel factory in Bayyaram, IIM, tribal university among others.