Odisha cabinet approves 11.25% quota for SEBC students in colleges, varsities
The reservation policy will be uniformly implemented across all state public universities and government-aided institutions under various departments
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha cabinet on Wednesday approved 11.25% exclusive reservation for Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC, who are called Other Backward Classes or OBCs in other states) students in higher educational institutions, effective from the 2025-26 academic session.
The cabinet chaired by chief minister Mohan Majhi said the move is aimed at promoting access, equity, and inclusion in higher education, increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio and enhancing opportunities for marginalised and disadvantaged communities in Odisha.
The reservation policy will be uniformly implemented across all state public universities and government-aided institutions under various departments, including School & Mass Education, Higher Education, Odia Language and Literature & Culture, and Sports & Youth Services.
With this decision, the state government has ensured that reservations will be provided to students belonging to different categories, including ST (22.5%), SC (16.25%) and SEBC (11.25%). The move brings Odisha’s total reservation quota in higher education to 50%, aligning with the Supreme Court’s ceiling for vertical reservations.
The state currently provides 5% horizontal reservation to people with disabilities and 1 % horizontal reservation to wards of ex-servicemen and war veterans.
In Odisha, Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are interchangeably used. Though Centre as well as all states provide reservation to OBCs in education following the Supreme Court judgement in 2008, Odisha was perhaps the only exception that did not provide any reservation to SEBC/OBC in admission to educational institutions though it gave 11.25% reservation to them in government jobs.
The focus on job reservations was also a response to political demands from SEBC communities, who prioritised employment as a direct means of economic upliftment. Educational quotas, while important, were less urgently demanded until recent years.
Political experts said Odisha’s political landscape, dominated by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for over two decades did not prioritize SEBC educational quotas due to competing demands from SC and ST communities, who form a significant electoral base.
“The BJD focused on consolidating tribal and Dalits through existing reservations and welfare schemes, avoiding the contentious issue of SEBC quotas. The demand for SEBC educational reservations gained traction only recently, spurred by OBC advocacy groups and the OBC survey in 2023 which found 39.31% of the state’s population to be socially and educationally backward,” said noted political science professor SP Dash.
The SEBC reservation addresses demands from OBC advocacy groups, who have protested for parity with the central government’s 27% OBC reservation in jobs and education. While the 11.25% quota is lower than the 27% demanded, experts said it marks a significant step toward meeting these aspirations, potentially reducing social unrest and political pressure.
Welcoming the decision, union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a senior OBC leader from Odisha, said the decision will empower the people of the SEBC category and promote social justice.
“In the perspective of the National Education Policy, this step will increase the importance of education for the backward classes and will help in building a developed Odisha and a developed India. ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Mantukham’ is the ideology and philosophy of the Modi Government. The main objective of all our programs and schemes is social justice. The Modi Government has been providing reservation facilities in jobs and education for other backward classes. Despite repeated requests to the BJD government to provide reservation for the social and economic development of the people of the SEBC category, they were neglected,” said Pradhan, in a post on X.
