Ten years, no payment: Andhra Pradesh government sits on BRAOU’s Rs 600-crore dues
University, listed in the 10th schedule of the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, has rendered its education services to AP students, besides maintaining 72 study centres in the neighbouring State, paying pensions and salaries of the staff working in the study centres there for 10 years
Hyderabad: Ten years of waiting, and still there is no sign of reimbursement of nearly Rs 600 crore by the Andhra Pradesh government to Telangana’s Dr BR Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU).
The university, listed in the 10th schedule of the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, has rendered its education services to around AP students, besides maintaining 72 study centres, paying pensions and salaries of the staff working in the university study centres there.
As per the 10th schedule of the Act, the university was to serve both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for 10 years, or till 2024. For this, both the governments had to enter into an agreement for extending services, besides initiating the process for the university’s bifurcation.
Post the bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, since both the States did not enter into an agreement, there was an issue regarding services and salaries of the employees working in the AP study centres. This matter reached the Telangana High Court, which issued interim orders, directing the AP government to pay the salaries of the university employees working in the AP study centres.
Further, the High Court had instructed the BRAOU to continue its services to around 50,000 AP students via its study centres. With this direction, the BRAOU continued its education services in AP. Although, the AP government began paying salaries of the varsity staff working there, the university bifurcation was not taken up.
“Despite providing services to AP students for nearly a decade, the AP government has not reimbursed any expenditure incurred by BRAOU towards extension of services and maintaining study circles. The AP government has to reimburse nearly Rs 600 crore. Since the university is in the 10th schedule of the AP Reorganisation Act, we have raised the issue with the Telangana government,” a senior official said.
Further, as per the UGC rules, the universities must operate strictly within their territorial jurisdiction, i.e., within the State. With 10-year admissions as envisaged in Act concluding on June 2, 2024, the Telangana government directed the university to do away with education services for AP students and admit only Telangana students from the 2024-25 academic year. Complying with the directive, the BRAOU administration ceased its services for AP students from January 2025.
