The Andhra Pradesh District Selection Committee (AP DSC) 2026 recruitment notification has brought attention to the state's local cadre system, particularly the terms Zone, Multi-Zone, Contiguous Zone and Contiguous District.
The Societies Recruitment Notification, issued on November 5, 2026, uses these classifications for teaching vacancies in residential educational institutions and AP Model Schools.
These classifications are governed by the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order, 2025, which replaced the earlier 1975 Presidential Order.
For candidates applying to AP DSC 2026, understanding the geographical division of zones is important because local candidature and reservation are linked to the applicable recruitment cadre.
Under the revised Presidential Order, Andhra Pradesh has six zones grouped into two multi-zones.
Multi-Zone I comprises Zones I, II and III, while Multi-Zone II comprises Zones IV, V and VI.
The zones cover all 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Zone I comprises five districts:
Srikakulam
Vizianagaram
Parvathipuram Manyam
Visakhapatnam
Anakapalli
Zone II comprises four districts:
Alluri Sitharama Raju
East Godavari
Kakinada
Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema
Zone III comprises four districts:
West Godavari
Eluru
NTR
Krishna
Zone IV comprises five districts:
Guntur
Palnadu
Bapatla
Prakasam
SPS Nellore
Zone V comprises four districts:
Tirupati
Chittoor
Annamayya
YSR Kadapa
Zone VI comprises four districts:
Nandyal
Ananthapuramu
Kurnool
Sri Sathya Sai
Multi-Zones are larger recruitment cadres comprising multiple zones.
The two multi-zones in Andhra Pradesh are:
Multi-Zone I: Zones I, II and III, covering 13 districts.
Multi-Zone II: Zones IV, V and VI, covering 13 districts.
In AP DSC 2026, certain Principal vacancies in residential educational institutions and AP Model Schools are classified under Multi-Zone I or Multi-Zone II.
Candidates must distinguish between a zonal vacancy and a multi-zonal vacancy because the geographical scope of the cadre differs.
A Contiguous Zone is a separate local cadre classification under the revised public employment framework.
The Presidential Order, 2025, permits the organisation of certain categories of posts by combining adjoining geographical areas, subject to the applicable government orders.
A Contiguous Zone should therefore not be confused with an ordinary Zone.
For example, a vacancy notified under Contiguous Zone-I does not necessarily have the same geographical coverage as an ordinary Zone I vacancy.
The precise boundaries of contiguous cadres must be verified from the relevant government-notified cadre organisation.
Contiguous Districts are another category of local cadre under the Presidential Order, 2025.
The classification allows certain posts to be organised with reference to adjoining district areas instead of a single district.
However, candidates should not assume that every neighbouring district is automatically included in a particular contiguous district cadre.
The applicable government order determines the geographical coverage.
The AP DSC 2026 Societies Notification includes 260 vacancies across residential educational institutions, AP Model Schools and other departments.
Several vacancies are classified under contiguous cadres.
For instance, AP Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society has notified PGT vacancies under Contiguous Zone-I and Contiguous Zone-II.
Similarly, AP Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society has listed certain TGT and PGT vacancies under these classifications.
AP Model Schools has notified TGT vacancies under Contiguous District-I, II, IV, V and VI.
The distinction matters because the notification provides for 95% local reservation, while the remaining 5% of posts are open to both local and non-local candidates on merit.
The applicable local area must be determined according to the notified cadre and relevant local candidature rules.
G.O.Ms.No.129, issued by the General Administration Department on July 17, 2026, outlines procedures for allotting government employees to reorganised local cadres.
The order recognises five categories: District, Contiguous District, Zone, Contiguous Zone and Multi-Zone.
It also establishes implementation committees for allotment of existing employees to the newly organised cadres.
However, this order primarily addresses employee allotment and does not independently provide a complete district-wise mapping of every contiguous cadre applicable to AP DSC 2026.
Candidates applying for posts under the Societies Notification should check whether their preferred vacancy is classified under a district, contiguous district, zone, contiguous zone or multi-zone.
The official notification states that detailed post-wise vacancies for the respective cadres will be made available on the recruitment portal from November 11.
The AP DSC 2026 online application process will run from November 11 to November 30.
Candidates can access the official notifications and updates at tet2dsc.apcfss.in.
While the six ordinary zones and two multi-zones have defined district lists, candidates should consult the relevant government orders before claiming local status for a contiguous cadre vacancy.