GO 97 row: committee first, clarity later
Harish Rao has demanded withdrawal of the order linked to Telangana’s proposed polytechnic restructuring. The order itself remains unavailable for public checking.
A committee has been appointed, but the text of GO 97 remains unavailable for public checking.
BRS leader Harish Rao has demanded the immediate withdrawal of GO 97, which he says brings Telangana’s polytechnic colleges into the Young India Skill University framework. He also warned Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy against using committees to delay a decision.
The government’s broader plan is documented. A September 2024 Telangana government release directed officials to frame procedures for bringing ITIs, Advanced Technology Centres and polytechnics under the university’s purview. The government says the aim is modernised curricula, industry participation and better internship and apprenticeship pathways.
After student protests, the government constituted a committee headed by K Keshava Rao on August 24/25, 2026, with a 30-day mandate to consult stakeholders. Concerns include the future of the State Board of Technical Education and Training, diploma education, ECET, lateral entry, fees and staff conditions.
Harish Rao has described the proposal as a threat to affordable technical education and engineering pathways. Those claims, including his fee figures and allegation of privatisation, have not been independently established. The operative text of GO 97 has not been located, so whether it orders a merger, affiliation or merely coordination remains unclear. The government has not publicly answered his demand in the material reviewed. For now, Telangana has a committee, a deadline and an order readers still cannot read.