Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami is to preside over a meeting in the North Block on Friday with seven secretaries to discuss about the formation of Telangana.
The focus of the Committee of Secretaries meeting will be to prepare a concept paper for the Group of Ministers to take a call on the separate statehood.
The meeting will also give inputs to the Union law ministry to draft a bill for the formation of Telangana.
Secretaries to ministries of defence, petroleum, power, human resources and development, coal, water resources and urban development will discuss the basic terms of reference of the Group of Ministers on Telangana.
However, two additional secretaries in the Union home ministry, K Skandan and Rajeev Sharma, who were to assist Anil Goswami, have proceeded on leave. These two officials have done major analysis and research on creation of smaller states.
Insiders in the Union home ministry feel that the absence of Skandan will be a major setback to the GoM on Telangana. However, the joint secretary in the same division of work would assist the GoM.
Image: A supporter of Telangana protests in New Delhi
Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
in New Delhi
