VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government has introduced significant policy changes to promote social justice and good governance, as outlined in GO No. 48 issued by the General Administration (Services D) Department on April 20, 2025. The new measures include the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and an increase in horizontal reservation for meritorious sportspersons.
To ensure equitable opportunities and social justice, the government has categorised the 59 Scheduled Castes into three groups based on population, inter-group backwardness, and social cohesion.
The percentage of reservation for jobs in government departments, public sector undertakings, corporations, and societies includes Group I: 1%, Group II: 6.5%, and Group III: 7.5%. Additionally, a 33.33% horizontal reservation has been allocated for women within each group. The government has also committed to filling backlog vacancies from previous years in line with this sub-classification as per GO No.07 (Social Welfare Department, April 18, 2025) and GO No. 46 (General Administration Department, April 19, 2025).
In a bid to promote sports as a means of fostering social health and cultural unity, the government has unveiled a new Sports Policy for 2024-29.
As part of this policy, the horizontal quota for meritorious sportspersons has been increased from 2% to 3% across government departments, local bodies, public sector undertakings, and uniformed services, including police, excise, and forest departments.
Appointments under this reservation will be merit-based, with eligibility determined by a Screening Committee and a State-Level Committee.
The number of recognised sports disciplines for this reservation has also been expanded from 29 to 65, as detailed in GO No. 04 (YAT&C Department, April 19, 2025) and GO No.47 (General Administration Department, April 19, 2025).
To ensure seamless execution, the government has directed all departments to adopt the sub-classification of SCs as per the referenced GOs, recast roster points for all recruitments in accordance with GO No. 46, implement the 3% horizontal reservation for sportspersons as prescribed, and follow the guidelines outlined in the referenced GOs for all recruitment processes. The GAD has also amended the AP State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1996, to incorporate these changes, ensuring clarity and consistency in implementation.