BHUBANESWAR: Delivering historic justice to a vast majority of people belonging to other backward classes (OBCs), Odisha cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday approved a proposal to provide 11.25 per cent reservation in state’s higher secondary and higher education institutions (HEIs) to students from the socially and economically backward classes (SEBC).
Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, the chief minister said that the reservation for SEBC category students will be implemented from the current academic year 2025-26, in state public universities, government and government-aided higher education institutions.
The reservation policy will apply to different courses under School and Mass Education, Higher Education, Odia Language, Literature, and Culture, and Sports and Youth Services departments, he said.
The SEBC students will enjoy reservation in higher secondary (+2) courses, teacher training and vocational education programmes of School and Mass Education department, undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses, teacher education, law courses (LLB/integrated law) of Higher Education department, bachelor’s degree in performing arts of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture department and bachelor’s in physical education (BPEd) as well as master in physical education (MPEd) under Sports and Youth Services department.
“This initiative will ensure uniform implementation of reservation in admission for students belonging to scheduled tribes (22.5 pc), scheduled castes (16.25 pc), SEBC (11.25 pc) and persons with disability (5 pc) and ex-servicemen (1 pc),” he added.
With the decision, reservation in education for SEBC will be implemented in the state after nearly 45 years of the submission of the Mandal Commission report recommending a 27 per cent quota for OBCs in government jobs and educational institutions.
The then UPA government led by Manmohan Singh implemented a 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in central educational institutions in 2006. This was achieved through the Constitution (Ninety-Third Amendment) Act, 2005, which came into force on January 20, 2006.
The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 further formalised the reservation policy. In terms of this provision, parliament as well as the state legislatures are empowered to make appropriate laws for the educational advancement of the weaker sections of the people.
Though several states have implemented reservation in education, successive governments in Odisha had denied the benefit to OBCs despite the fact that more than 52 per cent of the state’s population belong to OBCs.