Union Home Ministry has issued an order extending the term by six months of the Sheela Bhide Committee appointed to oversee distribution of assets and liabilities of government companies and corporations listed in Schedule IX between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The State government received a communication from the Centre in this regard.
Basing on it, the State government will issue a G.O. notifying the extension in couple of days.
The government will ask all the heads of the Public Sector Undertakings and corporations to attend the meetings convened by the committee to assist in the process.
The government had extended the tenure of the committee in 2016 and 2015 also. The Centre had extended the term of the committee till February 28, 2017. Senior All India Service Officers A. K Goel and K.V. Rao and financial expert K. Narasimha Murthy were the other members of the committee.
Breather for State
The fate of the committee hanged in the balance as its term had not been extended by the Centre all these days. The committee’s tenure will be extended for six months from September 1, officials say. With this extension, A.P. is likely to get a breather as many issues relating to the Schedule IX are yet to be resolved.
The government is fighting for proper definition of ‘headquarters’.
The government is seeking its share in all the offices, including the headquarters of the institutions listed in Schedule IX in the common capital.
The Centre had asserted that only headquarters could be bifurcated between the two States and not the other offices of any institution.
The A.P. government is striving to convince the Centre that its definition would affect the interests of the State. The government had sent alternative proposals to the Centre and the committee to ensure that it would get its rightful share. The government also wanted the Centre to correct the anomaly arising out of the definition.