The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana met for the first time today with an assurance that the concerns of Andhra Pradesh people would be addressed with “fairness and objectivity’’.
Elaborate discussions on the issue will now be held on October 19 as two Union ministers — A.K. Antony and P. Chidambaram — could not attend the meeting, with the Defence Minister indisposed and the Finance Minister out of the country.
After the meeting, which was chaired by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the GoM discussed “basic parameters for creation of a separate state’’.
He said that there is no time-frame for the GoM to submit its report.
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh are the other ministers on the GoM, while Minister of State for Personnel and Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy is a special invitee on the panel.
A press statement issued after the meeting said the GoM “would like to assure the people of Andhra Pradesh that their concerns would be addressed with fairness and objectivity’’.
The statement said the panel also discussed “the approach and methodology to be adopted by it” and that it “would take the opinion of stakeholders on all important subjects while formulating its recommendations’’.
The GoM finalised different nodal ministries and departments of the central government which will prepare status reports to be submitted to it on subjects in the terms of reference, the statement said.
“Information in this regard will be sought from the state government and the process will start immediately,” it said.