BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the 2026-27 academic session, the state government on Tuesday notified the reservation for SEBC or OBC and enhanced quota for Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste students in medical, technical and professional courses.
The decision to provide reservation to SEBC students and increase the quota for STs and SCs was taken by the state cabinet on April 4. With Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directing the ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department for early implementation, a memorandum was issued allowing admissions in engineering, medical and other professional programmes from the ensuing academic session as per the new reservation criteria.
Under the revised policy, reservation for ST students in professional courses has been increased from 12 per cent to 22.5 per cent, while for SC students it has has been raised from 8 per cent to 16.25 per cent. For the first time, SEBC students will receive 11.25 per cent reservation in technical and professional education institutes, where no such provision existed earlier.
The state currently provides 22.5 per cent reservation for STs, 16.25 per cent for SCs and 11.5 per cent for SEBCs in public employment and general higher education courses such as BA, BSc and BCom programmes.
According to official data, STs constitute about 22.85 per cent of state’s population, while SCs account for 17.13 per cent. There is no quantifiable data for the OBCs or SEBCs so far.
The new policy will cover admissions to universities, affiliated colleges, ITIs, polytechnics and institutions offering courses in engineering, technology, management, computer applications, medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences, veterinary sciences, ayurveda, homeopathy, agriculture and allied sciences, architecture, planning and cinematic arts and technology, said the memorandum.
The state government described the decision as a major step towards ensuring equitable educational opportunities for historically disadvantaged communities and addressing a long-standing demand for proportional representation in professional education.
