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DMK opposed to creamy layers being excluded from reservation


CHENNAI, AUG 28 (PTI)
The DMK today said it was against creamy layers being excluded from the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in educational institutions and would oppose inclusion of the concept of creamy layer.

Party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said the DMK and its allies had enough "mental strength" to muster public opinion against any such move.

Speaking at a marriage function here, he said "we have mental strength to change that also (inclusion of creamy layer). We will continue our efforts to achieve our goal in total."

Referring to the speech of PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, who earlier said the creamy layer concept had gathered support from "someone else," he claimed Jawaharlal Nehru himself had opposed reservation on the basis of economic backwardness. Nehru had then stressed that reservation should be based only on social and educational backwardness, Karunanidhi said.

"We could have achieved our goal fully if we had got the support from expected quarters," he said in an obvious reference to CPI-M's opposition to reservation for students from the economically well-off among the OBCs.

"But that does not mean that we have lost the war," he said.

PMK regrets not passing resolution on quota


PONDICHERRY, AUG 28 (PTI)
PMK parliamentary party leader M Ramadoss today expressed his disappointment over the 'failure' of the Pondicherry government in adopting a resolution to urge the Centre to ensure introduction of 27 per cent quota for OBCs in central eductional institutions.

Addressing reporters here, he claimed he had written an official letter to the Chief Minister N Rangasamy and a few others seeking such a resolution during the current session of the assembly.

By doing so, Pondicherry would also have "earned name" in supporting the Reservation bill, similar to Tamil Nadu.

Ramadoss also thanked the Centre for approving the change of name of Pondicherry to Puducherry.

He said an official team from Union Panchayati Raj ministry would visit Pondicherry soon to have an interaction with the elected representatives of local bodies on the deployment and devolution of powers to civic bodies.

He stressed the need for creating a district-level Planning Committee here to coordinate distribution of central funds to all commune and village panchayats.

Ramadoss claimed he was persuading the Centre to confer B-two status for Pondicherry.

In a letter to Union Human Resources Development ministry, he has asked to sanction an "off-campus satellite college' of IIT, Chennai for Pondicherry.

Final report of the Oversight Committee may be delayed: Moily


NEW DELHI, AUG 28 (PTI)
The final report of the Oversight Committee tasked to prepare a roadmap for the implementation of 27 per cent OBC reservation in elite central educational institutions is likely to be delayed beyond August 31, the head of the committee said today.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily, who was asked to submit the committee's final report to the government by August 31, said "it may not be possible to give the final report by the timeline".

Moily's remarks came at the end of his first-day's consultations with academicians to understand their reasons before the Committee submits its final report.

Moily met professionals from IIT, IIMs and Central Universities today and would be meeting another set of experts belonging to medical and agriculture institutions on the second day of the exercise tomorrow.

Moily had earlier ruled out any "bulldozing" of the proposal for 27 per cent reservation in elite and Central educational institutions and asserted that protecting the excellence of educational institutions would be the "main theme".

Oversight Committee's final report likely by Sept 15: Moily


NEW DELHI, AUG 29 (PTI)
The Oversight Committee assigned to prepare a roadmap for the implementation of 27 per cent reservation in elite central educational institutions today said the final report of the panel is likely to be given to the government by September 15.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily, who was asked to submit the committee's final report to the governmet by August 31, said "may be, I think the report will be given by September 15".

Indicating that the implementation is possible only in a staggered manner, Moily, who held consultations with academicians before the Committee submits its final report, said "there cannot be any uniform policy" on the implementation.

"Some institutions said it (implementation) could be possible in one year and some other institutions felt it may be implemented in two years. It all depends upon the courses", he said.

On the second and final day of his consultations, Moily discussed with experts the design of implementation of the quota regime. The meeting discussed how it it should be implemented and what would be the management part and the government's part in the process, he said.

Observing that he also met experts in the field of agriculture and medical science, the senior Congress leader said that with this exercise the final round of national consulation was

Asked about the issue of creamy layer, a reference to this effect did not find a mention in the quota bill, Moily said though the issue was discussed by the committee it would give its "considered view" in its final report.

To a question on Common Admission Test (CAT) for 2006 for admission to IIMs finding some difficulty in view of quota bill being referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, he said by 2007-08 academic year the policy has to be implemented and "they can design accordingly".

Moily had met professionals from IIT, IIMs and Central Universities yesterday.

Moily had earlier ruled out any "bulldozing" of the proposal for 27 per cent reservation in elite central educational institutions and asserted that protecting the excellence of educational institutions would be the "main theme".

Time to make India a no reservation country

Rajat Narang


August 29, 2006
Whenever I hear the word 'Reservation', the first things that come to mind are trains, planes and movie tickets -- where you need to make a reservation for a seat. But, of course, there is also this other category -- reservation in higher education through quota.

This a gameplan by the government. I read in a mail forwarded to me that Jawaharlal Nehru felt our country did not require reservation because every person was unique. Is the government keeping Nehru's word or just elaborating what Nehru actually meant?

Also few people like me who support reservation say: First, let there be reservation in Indian politics -- such as 47 per cent for the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Other Backward Classes, but the country's two largest parties, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party, are controlled by the upper castes.

Then, why not consider reservation in the Indian cricket team? Of every six batsmen, two should be from the reserved category and from the four bowlers, two should come from the reserved category, the wicket-keeper in every fourth game should be a SC/ST/OBC. Can this be possible? Will it make us win the World Cup in 2007? According to the people -- no; according to politicians -- yes.

Then why don't they apply this to Bollywood -- a 47 per cent reservations for heroes, heroines and villains? A directive that every fourth movie should be directed and written by OBC or SC/ST. Why should Bollywood be spared? The backward castes should get a chance to prove themselves. Then why not start from here? Why from the IITs and IIMs?
Of the 1,223 total seats in the six IIMs, 20 per cent are reserved. Getting a seat in the remaining 80 per cent is as tough as snatching the World Cup from Australia in Australia when Australia is at its peak.

It will be even tougher with reservation increasing to 47 per cent. It is a quickfix solution by government -- increase seats overall but the problem will still continue. Will companies from abroad still come for campus recruitment? Will they get the most intelligent from the intelligent once reservation is increased to 47 per cent? And is there enough infrastructure to handle this upgradation?

Strictly no. In The Times of India, dated May 25, 2006, the headline read: 'Faculty don't grow on trees'. Where is the infrastructure to support this huge change for which the government has taken a decision in such a short time, a decision on which depends the future of India.

I do not know why the government is reserving seats for higher education where 8 out of 10 Dalit children drop out of school before Class X -- which means the drop-out rate is approximately 80 per cent.

Politicians will never understand what it is to get higher education in India. Because their own children go to the US, UK, Australia, Europe and other foreign countries for education. The government is doing all this because it doesn't want its vote bank to go to other parties as 37.82 percent is the literacy rate among scheduled castes. Giving them a bait like reservation is an easy way to get those votes. The United Progressive Alliance wants to remain in power and only wants to be elected in the state elections as well. I don't think the day is far, when there will be a quota for the general category.

Why don't we start tackling education from the primary level for the backward classes? By not helping them with reservation but through NGOs and ourselves? The government started programmes like compulsory education, why not strengthen it with the help of NGOs? There is no use of reserving seats in higher education when our primary school dropout rate is so high.

I see a future where students will get fake SC/ST certificate and reserve seats in IITs or IIMs. Then in a Deewar 2007, Amitabh Bachchan will ask Shashi Kapoor: 'Mere paas daulat hai, IIT ki degree hai, IIM ki seat hai... tere paas kyaa hai?' To this, Shashi Kapoor will grandly reply -- 'Mere paas... mere paas reservation hai Bhai.'

In these past months, I have noticed one more thing, no party in the Lok Sabha has opposed this reservation issue. Either they are afraid that their vote bank will be lost or there is something unthinkable about what the UPA is doing, who knows? Where are our young leaders who claim to speak for the youth? Why don't they show up at a time of crisis and only appear during elections?

How can anyone forget what democracy stands for? Is it about dividing people along caste or religion or state or colour or quota? There will be time when every religion will have its own quota system. How will that be countered? Dr Ambedkar said reservation should be discontinued after 15 years but politicians are continuing with this to further their vote bank.

I also agree that there should be reservation but not on the basis of caste or religion or colour but on the basis of poverty. People who are below the poverty line should get concessions in school and college fees, and also for higher education. They should get entrance forms at subsidised rates.

I feel great pride as an Indian when I see moviegoers stand at attention when the national anthem is played in a theatre before a film. I feel very proud that we still honour our national anthem at least. Why don't we all stand up? This time to make India a no reservation country. We should remove the Q-word from the Constitution of India.

And then let us have more young MPs in Parliament. Those who can think intelligently on how to make India a truly great country based on merit and not on quota.

Reserve 27% seats for OBCs in 3 years: Bill


August 30, 2006 13:11 IST
Last Updated: August 30, 2006 14:49 IST
A law has been proposed to require Central institutions to reserve 27 per cent higher education seats for the socially and educationally backward within three years while adding seats to protect the prospects of unreserved candidates.
Besides 22.5 per cent such seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Bill 2006 introduced in Parliament reserves for Other Backward Classes 27 per cent such seats.

But the Bill says that for reasons of ''financial, physical or academic limitation or... standards of education" the government may permit an institution to increase the intake ''over a maximum period of three years.'' The bill requires such permission by the government to be ''by notification in the Official Gazette.'' The reservation in such cases ''shall be limited'' so that seats available to the OBCs ''for each academic session are commensurate with the increase in the permitted strength for each year,'' it says.

The bill introduced by Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh articulates a move that has triggered students' agitation in the Capital and elsewhere -- but little political opposition.

The agitation has been most pronounced among medicine students, a discipline in which seats are far fewer than, say, in engineering.

As many as 15 per cent seats in each branch of study or faculty are already reserved for Scheduled Castes and 7.5 per cent for Scheduled Tribes.

The Bill defines the OBCs it seeks to benefit as ''the class or classes of citizens who are socially and educationally backward, and are so determined by the Central government.'' India has close to more than 9.95 million students attending 16,885 colleges, but there is no specific estimate of how many of them represent the OBC.

According to the Bill, a central educational institution means: -- A university established or incorporated by or under a Central Act; -- An Institution of national importance set up by an Act of Parliament; -- An institution declared as a deemed university and maintained by or receiving aid from the Central government; -- An institution maintained by or receiving aid from the Central government-- directly or indirectly-- and affiliated to an institution covered under aforementioned categories; -- An education institution set up by the Central government under the Societies Registration Act 1860.

But the reservation will not apply to institutions set up in tribal areas cited in the 6th schedule to the Constitution, 17 specified institutions of excellence, national and strategic importance and a minority educational institution.

Nor will it apply to a course or programme at high levels of specialization -- any postdoctoral studies, which the central government may specify.

The Bill requires ''every central educational institution'' with appropriate approval to raise the number of academic seats so that ''it is not less than'' the number available immediately before Act comes into force.

The Bill has been referred to a Parliamentary panel on HRD ministry for examination, an official said.

Quota will not harm general category: PM



August 31, 2006 13:05 IST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the proposed reservations in elite educational institutions will not reduce opportunities for general category students but aims to give empowerment to those belonging to the backward communities.

"Our approach on this issue is two-fold. First of all we must not do anything which will reduce educational opportunities for children other than those belonging to the backward classes," Dr Singh told students of Lady Sri Ram College in New Delhi on Thursday during a brief question-answer session.

The government aims to provide students from backward communities with access to 'genuine opportunities to empowerment' to realise their potential, he added.

Only 10 per cent of the population of these communities had access to college education at present, the prime minister pointed out, adding that economic criteria also has a role in the issue.

Moily committee to finalise report on Sep 15


NEW DELHI, SEP 10 (PTI)
The Oversight Committee, which is preparing a roadmap for implementing the 27 per cent OBC reservation in elite Central educational institutions, will meet on September 15 to finalise its report.

"We will finalise the report on September 15. The draft preparation of the final report is going on," said Committee Chairman Veerappa Moily, who was originally scheduled to submit the report to the government by August 31.

The former Karnataka Chief Minister, who held a series of consultations last month with academicians ahead of finalising the report, had earlier indicated that the implementation of the quota regime was possible only in a staggered manner.

"Some institutions said it (implementation) could be possible in one year and some other institutions felt it may be implemented in two years," he had said.

The committee is also expected to give its "considered view" on the "creamy layer" issue in its final report.

Moily had earlier ruled out any "bulldozing" of the 27 per cent quota for OBCs in elite central institutions and asserted that protecting the excellence of educational institutes would be the "main theme".

😡 THis is really outrageous. What more damage these so called stupid Netas will do to our Nation 😡 😡 😡
All the doctors coming out of the quote should treat only these leaders and Civil Eng should built their house only .