Bhubaneswar: After staging a noisy walk out, Congress Lawmakers today sought the intervention of Governor Raghubar Das to enhance reservation quotas for SC, ST and OBCs in technical and medical education in the State.
Congress MLAs have been raising the issue in the Assembly for the past few days. Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati on Thursday again raised the issue during zero hour and demanded a ruling from the Speaker.
As the Speaker did not give any ruling on the matter, expressing displeasure, the Congress members led by Rama Chandra Kadam staged a walkout from the House and went to Raj Bhavan and sought the Governor’s intervention.
In a memorandum, the Congress MLAs sought the intervention of the Governor and urged him to direct the BJP Government to stop the ongoing MBBS admissions counseling in the State.
They requested that the State Government be directed to implement a 38.75 percent reservation for SC and ST students and a 27 percent reservation for OBC-SEBC students in MBBS admissions in the State.
The Congress MLAs stated that gross injustice has been committed against SC, ST, and OBC students in the state, who collectively constitute 94 percent of the State’s population, with SC and ST forming 40 percent and OBC constituting 54 percent.
It highlighted concerns over the disparity in the reservation policies for SC, ST, and OBC students in Odisha.
In employment, the reservation stands at 22.5 percent for ST, 16.5 percent for SC, and 11.25 percent for OBC. However, in higher education, particularly in technical courses such as Engineering and Medical, ST students receive only 12 percent reservation, SC students receive 8 percent, and OBC students have no reservation at all.
The lawmakers further mentioned that the Department of Higher Education, in its 2015 circular, mandated a 22.5 percent reservation for ST and 16.5 percent for SC students. However, this directive has not been fully implemented, as ST and SC students continue to receive only 12 percent and 8 percent reservations, respectively, in practice.
They pointed out that while the State Government has implemented the central government’s 2019 directive to reserve 10 percent of seats for economically weaker sections, benefiting just 6 percent of the population, it has remained silent on providing reservations for OBCs, who constitute 54 percent of the population.
They alleged that due to this biased reservation policy, hundreds of students from ST, SC, and OBC communities are being deprived of their constitutional rights to pursue higher education in the state each year.
The Congress leader urged the Governor to take appropriate steps to address these injustices and ensure equal educational and employment opportunities for all sections of society, under the principles of the Constitution.