Only 5% to Kaapu: Naidu

Amaravati, January 22: The Andra Pradesh cabinet decided to provide 5% quota for Kapu and another 5% for economically backward classes in educational institutions and government jobs, at its meeting held on Monday.

“We had requested the Centre to extend 5% reservation to the Kapu community long ago, but Bharatiya Janata Party leaders did not agree,” the chief minister told Telugu Desam Party leaders during a teleconference from Amaravati. “Now, out of the 10% reservation provided by the Centre to the economically weaker sections, we will give 5% to Kapus and the balance to the poor.”

The Telugu Desam Party, ahead of the 2014 elections, promised to include the Kapu community in the backward classes list and extend five percent reservation in jobs and educational institutions. In December 2017, the state government passed a bill to this effect in the Assembly. However, the Centre said that the plan would violate a Supreme Court judgment that limits reservations to 50% of total jobs or seats available.

The cabinet gave promotions to 637 Armed Reserve (AR) constables and 545 AR head constables, the creation of nine Registrar posts as proposed by the Registrar-General of the High Court of A.P. with effect from January 1, 2019, and formulating a policy for allotment of house sites to employees in Amaravati.

The Cabinet decided to extend the health insurance coverage to the weavers with a 10 crore outlay.