E-Paper
Ministers meet PM, seek reservation for OBC, EWS from all-India quota for NEET
The group, which included BJP’s Bhupendra Yadav, Apna Dal’s Anupriya Patel, JDU’s RCP Singh, in a submission to the PM said candidates from the OBC category have been “denied” reservations under the all-India quota
A group of ministers and NDA lawmakers on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand that reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates be made from the all-India quota for undergraduate (MBBS) and post-graduate courses under National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination (NEET-UG and NEET-PG).
The group, which included BJP’s Bhupendra Yadav, Apna Dal’s Anupriya Patel, JDU’s RCP Singh, in a submission to the PM said candidates from the OBC category have been “denied” reservations under the all-India quota.
As per the provisions of NEET, the state government colleges and private medical and dental colleges are required to give 15% of the total number of seats in diploma and undergraduate courses and 50% in postgraduate courses against all-India quota and these can be availed by students from across the country. “…Notably as per the constitutional scheme of things, the said quota of all-India seats is further subject to SC, ST, OBC and EWS reservation criterion. However, candidates from the OBC category have been denied reservation under the all-India quota,” the letter said.
The meeting comes a day after the PM held a review meeting on the issues pertaining to OBC and EWS reservation in the all-India quota for medical education. The issue had been a long pending demand from the OBC groups. “A Madras high court order of 2020 said that OBC students can avail reservation too, however it has been hanging fire. The PM has also asked the ministry of health and family welfare to implement the EWS as well,” said a person aware of the details.
