The Centre on Thursday allowed 8 institutions to exempt from implementing the 10% reservation for the Economically Backward Section.
All other Universities have to implement the quota as ordered by the govt. from 2019-20 session. The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry said in an order to educational regulatory bodies as well as all states and Union Territories. The scheme for implementing the quota should be displayed on the websites of all the concerned institutions by March 31, it added.
Mumbai’s Homi Bhabha National Institute and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (Shillong) are among the eight institutions of excellence.
The other institutions have been given the option of giving “representations” in case they face financial, infrastructure or academic constraints in applying the quota. They can do so also in case the annual permitted strength in a branch of study or faculty cannot be increased immediately in the upcoming session. The order said an “appropriate authority” in such cases may permit institutions to increase seats over a two-year period.
The HRD ministry issued the order following directions from the social justice and empowerment ministry, which had tabled the bill in Parliament for providing the quota.
Union Minister of the Ministry of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar ordered to increase the intake by 25%
Former University Grants Commission member Inder Mohan Kapahy called the exemption desirable and required. “Most of these specialized academic institutes [of excellence] have done excellent academic work and should be protected from being burdened by admitting students only on the basis of reservations,’’ Kathy said. “The decision of increasing the intake by 25% in two years is also welcome. It should be extended, if required, even more. Sincere efforts are required to match the available infrastructure with the admitted students.”