By IANS,
New Delhi : The government Sunday issued formal directions to all centrally-run institutions of higher learning, including IITs and IIMs, to implement the 27 percent reservation for the other backward classes (OBCs) from the new academic session beginning later this year.
The human resource development ministry directed all these institutions to exclude the ‘creamy layer’, or the elite among the OBCs, from the ambit of the reservation as ordered by the Supreme Court April 10, an official statement here said.
In line with the court’s decision, the ministry directive said all centrally-run educational institutions, other than those exempted in the act, have to implement the OBC quota apart from 15 percent quota for the Scheduled Castes and 7.5 percent for the Scheduled Tribes.
The government said a detailed programme of expansion has been worked out and approved by the Empowered Committee for implementing recommendations of the Oversight Committee on the issue.
The ministry also stated that the policy of OBC reservation under the Central Educational Institutions Act is to be implemented from the forthcoming academic session.
“This would be applicable to all centrally-run institutions, except those institutions of excellence, research based institutions which are of strategic importance and covered in the Schedule of the CEI Act.”
Following the apex court verdict, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) had put on hold their admission process seeking a communication from the ministry in this regard.
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have already decided to implement the OBC quota in phases over three years beginning 2008-09 by reserving nine percent seats every year.