BHUBANESWAR: Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj justified the decision of the state cabinet to provide 11.25 per cent reservation to the Socially and Educationally Backwards Classes (SEBCs) in educational institutions, saying it conforms to the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent quota cap.
Referring to the demand of the Opposition political parties to provide 27 per cent reservation for SEBCs, the minister said the reservation for SCs and STs is 38.75 per cent and adding the quota for SEBCs, the total remains at 50 per cent.
On the exclusion of medical, engineering and other technical courses from the quota, the minister hinted that they too will be brought into the fold subsequently. “This is the first step towards ensuring justice for SEBCs who were ignored by the previous BJD and Congress governments. The BJP government headed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will take more steps in future to ensure social justice across all spheres,” he said.