Starting July 2019, reservation for SCs, STs, OBCs and economically weaker sections (EWS) in the general category will be introduced in all higher educational private institutions, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Tuesday.
The central government is expected to introduce a Bill in the upcoming budget session of Parliament to implement Tuesday’s decision. Meanwhile, the newly announced 10 per cent quota for the EWS of the general category (families with a gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh) in central educational institutions will be introduced through an executive order this week.
Also, institutions run by the Centre will increase their student strength to accommodate the new category without affecting the current number of SC/ST/OBC and general category seats.
“Under the 124th Constitutional amendment, the HRD Ministry has decided that from this year itself the quota for EWS category will be applicable. While implementing this, we will ensure that reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs does not get affected. Hence, there will be more seats,” Javadekar told reporters on Tuesday.
Currently, the annual intake of central institutions — including IITs, NITs, IIMs, central universities, central open university, colleges and government and government-aided deemed universities — is 9.28 lakh seats.
The Indian Express reported that the HRD Ministry is tight-lipped about the additional financial burden, which is estimated to be Rs 4,000 crore- on central institutions on account of the increase in student strength. The institutions will be allowed to stagger the 25 percent increase.
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