Press Trust of India Posted online: Friday, August 25, 2006 at 1212 hours IST Updated: Friday, August 25, 2006 at 1517 hours IST
New Delhi, August 25: The controversial quota Bill to provide 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in Central educational institutions, which is to be made operational from the academic year 2007, was introduced by HRD Minister Arjun Singh in Lok Sabha.
The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Bill, 2006, makes no mention of the creamy layer.
Asked about the issue of including minority institutions under the purview of reservation, Singh said this was negated by the House earlier.
The Minister said the Bill was brought in order to benefit millions of students belonging to socially and economically weaker sections of society.
It provides for a mandatory increase of seats in Central educational institutions, which would be attained over a maximum period of three years beginning with 2007 academic session.
It said though it may not be possible to quantify the financial requirement at this stage, "whatever be the expenditure, it would be met from the Consolidated Fund of India through budgetary provision" under the HRD Ministry.
The Bill applicable to Central Universities, IITs and IIMs and certain other institutions established, maintained or aided by the Central government, defines OBCs as the class or classes of citizens who are socially and educationally backward and are so determined by the Central government.
The Bill, which was cleared by the Cabinet on Monday, is expected to be taken up for consideration only in the next session of Parliament in winter.
While DMK and PMK have demanded that there should be no dilution in the implementation and that the measure should be implemented in one go, government has chosen to implement it in a staggered manner.
A similar Bill for unaided institutions is likely to be taken up at a later stage.
New Delhi, August 25: The controversial quota Bill to provide 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in Central educational institutions, which is to be made operational from the academic year 2007, was introduced by HRD Minister Arjun Singh in Lok Sabha.
