The entire reconstituted Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will meet on 19 October to discuss the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh on the basis of parameters set by the group.
The GoM held the first meeting on Friday. Defence Minister AK Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram were not present at the meeting.
"The GoM discussed the approach and methodology to be adopted by it. The GoM would like to assure all the people of Andhra Pradesh that the relevant issues as well as their concerns would be addressed with fairness and objectivity," Shinde said in a statement.
"The GoM would take the opinion of stakeholders on all important subjects while formulating its recommendations."
The group has finalised the different nodal ministries and departments of the Central Government who will prepare status reports on the issues related to the creation of a separate Telangana state, which will be submitted to the GoM.
The state government will also provide related information to the GoM to begin the process of formulating the AP Reorganisation Bill.
The Congress-led UPA government on Tuesday reorganised the GoM from 10 to seven ministers. The members include Shinde, Antony, Chidambaram, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Petroleum and Natural gas Minister Veerappa Moily and Union Rural Development minister Jairam Ramesh.
The GoM will pay heed to the legal, financial and administrative issues required for bifurcations of Andhra.
The Cabinet had set a deadline of six weeks. But Shinde ruled out that there wasn't a time frame for the newly-constituted GoM and that the report will be pushed out as soon as possible.
When asked why there was no representation from the Seemandhra region in the GoM, Shinde told Indian Express, "It is not an issue and justice will be done to the people of Andhra Pradesh."
On 3 October, the Union Cabinet had approved the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to carve out a separate state of Telangana which led to violent protests in pockets of coastal districts and Rayalaseema.
