NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary panel has slammed the HRD Ministry for failing to fill up vacant teaching posts reserved for OBCs in Central universities and strongly suggested a special recruitment drive be taken up. The Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes regretted that despite circulars issued by DoPT for holding special recruitment drives, the Ministry failed to follow the orders.
“The committee deprecate lackadaisical approach of the HRD Ministry and UGC on the issue as they have failed to take concrete remedial measures to fill up the quota,” the panel said in its report presented in Parliament this week. The government had fixed 27 per cent reservation for OBC faculty positions. But up to March 31, 2015, there were 50 backlog vacancies in Visva Bharti, 45 in Harisingh Gaur University in Sagar, 44 in Guru Ghasidas University, 34 in Pondicherry University, 33 in Tezpur University and 32 vacancies in Assam University, Delhi University and Allahabad University.
The panel also expressed dismay over the absence of any reservation for OBCs in the posts of associate professor and professor in science and technical institutions. It urged the government to revisit the provision to ensure uniformity in recruitment and application of reservations for OBCs at those levels as well.
Besides, it asked the HRD Ministry and UGC to closely monitor implementation of the 27 per cent reservation for OBC students in Centrally-funded institutes. It observed the approach of universities and technical institutes had been lax in providing due representation to OBC students.