Notification issued for 15% reservation in medical & engineering colleges for govt-run school students

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government on Wednesday issued a notification paving the way for the provision of 15 per cent reservation for government school students in state-run engineering and medical colleges.

In December last year, the state cabinet had approved reservation of seats for government school students in engineering and medical colleges. On 23 March, the State Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution in this regard. As per the government notification, it will be implemented from the next academic year.

With 15 per cent quota for government school students, the total quota of medical and engineering colleges increased to 48 per cent. Earlier, there was 33 per cent reservation of seats for students belonging to the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste.

As the government high school students are at a disadvantageous position compared to their counterparts in private schools while appearing in entrance examinations like NEET and JEE, the state government had constituted a high-power committee on January 8, under the chairmanship of Justice AK Mishra, a retired Judge of Orissa High Court to make necessary recommendations regarding reservation of seats for government high school students in engineering and medical courses in Odisha, the notification stated.

Acting on the Committee’s recommendations, the state government has directed that 15% of seats in medical and engineering colleges of the state shall be reserved for students who have passed the 10th Board Examination under the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha and also have passed 12th Board Examination under Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), from any Odisha government higher secondary school/government junior college and such reservations shall be horizontal covering all vertical reservations as well as the unreserved group, the notification added.

The eligible students shall also be entitled to compete for the unreserved seats and in case, adequate number of such eligible students is not available for seats so set apart, such unfilled seats shall be filled up by the other students of respective category.

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