Telangana Governor meets Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Meeting was reportedly to discuss fate of Bills passed by Telangana Legislative Assembly which were pending her assent

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday reportedly to discuss the fate of seven Bills passed by Telangana Assembly in September but pending approval by her due to certain objections raised by her.

After the 15 minute meeting, she said it was a routine meeting in the backdrop of completion of three years in office by her.

Simultaneously, she has summoned Minister for Education P. Sabita Indra Reddy to clarify whether the Bill on common recruitment board for the teaching faculty of universities was tenable. The summon was issued in a letter to the government seeking clarification on the constitution of the board. A separate letter was also addressed to the University Grants Commission on the rule position. 

Dr. Soundararajan sought to know from the UGC whether the recruitment by the board was acceptable. She expressed anguish that the government did not pay heed to her instructions for the last three years to fill up the vacancies of teachers in universities.

The recruitment will be further delayed if legal issues cropped up in the new system to come into vogue through the board.

The Assembly had passed eight Bills after a brief discussion on a single day in the last session. Except the Bill on Goods and Services Taxes Act to include more items under tax purview following a decision by the GST Council, the Governor kept pending all the other Bills from approval.

While six Bills related to amendments to existing Acts, two of them were new legislations on setting up the common recruitment board for faculty of universities and upgrading forest college and research institute as forest university at Mulug in Siddipet district.