Published Sep 17, 2026 | 6:52 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 17, 2026 | 6:52 PM
The government said the change was intended to ensure transparency and uniformity in the recruitment process.
Synopsis: The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered that Veterinary Assistant Surgeon posts in the Animal Husbandry Department be filled through APPSC with a written examination, reversing two orders issued on 13 September and 14 September. GO MS No. 24, issued on 17 September, cancelled the relevant provisions of the earlier orders after APPSC said it could not conduct the recruitment under the prescribed merit-based system without a written test.
The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to fill Veterinary Assistant Surgeon (VAS) posts in the Animal Husbandry Department through the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) by conducting a written examination, reversing two controversial recruitment orders issued on 13 September and 14 September.
Agriculture Department Secretary Rajasekhar issued GO MS No. 24 on 17 September, cancelling GO MS Nos. 21 and 22 and directing that the current VAS recruitment be conducted through APPSC with a written test.
The government said the change was intended to ensure transparency and uniformity in the recruitment process.
The changes came against complaints over recruitment to sports quota posts without a written examination in Mega DSC 2025. Allegations of irregularities in the sports quota had also been raised in earlier recruitments in the Animal Husbandry Department.
GO 21 had also stated that the merit-based weightage prescribed for the current recruitment would not continue in future VAS recruitments. Future appointments were to be made by APPSC in accordance with the special service rules and recruitment policies in force at the time.
GO MS No. 21, issued on 13 September, initially entrusted the recruitment to APPSC but prescribed selection on the existing merit-based system without a written examination. The system gave weightage to academic performance, higher educational qualifications, relevant service experience and post-graduation seniority.
APPSC subsequently told the government that it could not conduct the recruitment under those conditions. In a letter dated 13 September, the Commission Secretary said recruitment could not be carried out without a written test under GO 21 and sought necessary orders from the General Administration Department.
The government then issued GO MS No. 22 on 14 September, withdrawing the instructions that had assigned the recruitment to APPSC. It decided that the VAS posts in the second phase of the 2026 Job Calendar would instead be filled through the Departmental Selection Committee under the existing procedure.
That procedure was prescribed in GO MS No. 52 of 2016, which constituted a Departmental Selection Committee for VAS recruitment and provided for merit-based selection using academic performance, higher qualifications, relevant service experience and post-graduation seniority. The procedure was amended through GO MS No. 1 in 2024.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sarath Chandra)
