Telangana announces 10-year age relaxation for state government recruitment exams

The Telangana government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, has announced a major relief for thousands of unemployed youth waiting for government job opportunities in the state. On Tuesday, the government issued fresh orders increasing the upper age limit for direct recruitment in state government jobs by 10 years. The notification was issued by Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao through G.O. No. 86.

Lakhs of unemployed candidates from different parts of the state had reportedly appealed to the government for another chance to compete for government jobs. Many of them said they were nearing the age limit due to the lack of regular recruitment drives in recent years.

Considering their future and employment opportunities, the government decided to extend the age limit, giving eligible candidates more time to apply for upcoming recruitment notifications.

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With the latest decision, open category (OC) candidates can now apply for government jobs up to the age of 44 years, instead of the earlier limit of 34 years. The government has clarified that this relaxation will remain in force for only one year. Candidates belonging to SC, ST, BC, and other reserved categories will continue to receive additional age relaxation as per the existing reservation rules.

Why did the government take this step?

The move comes after repeated requests from unemployed youth across Telangana. Many aspirants had raised concerns that delays in recruitment notifications over the last few years were pushing them beyond the eligible age limit without giving them a fair opportunity to apply for jobs.

Under the Telangana State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1996, the maximum age limit for government job applicants is fixed at 34 years. However, because recruitment notifications were delayed in recent years, many candidates feared losing their eligibility. Taking these concerns into account, the government decided to provide an additional 10-year age relaxation for notifications issued during the next one year.

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Relaxation valid only for one year

According to the latest order, the 10-year age relaxation will remain valid for one year from the date of issuance. The benefit will apply only to recruitment notifications released by various government recruitment agencies during this period.

The government has also clarified that the relaxation applies only to civil posts, including group services, Secretariat jobs, and other regular government positions. It will not be applicable to uniformed services such as police, excise, fire, and prison departments.

Earlier age relaxation

This is not the first time the state government has increased the upper age limit. Earlier, on February 8, 2024, the government had issued G.O. No. 30, which extended the age limit by two more years along with the existing 10-year relaxation, effectively allowing candidates up to 46 years of age to apply.

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However, that order expired in February 2026, bringing the upper age limit back to the original 34 years. To prevent candidates from missing future opportunities, the government has now issued a fresh order through G.O. No. 86.