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TN to provide 7.5% quota for govt students in professional courses
A cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister MK Stalin on Wednesday decided to table this legislation during the ensuing budget session. This was based on the recommendation of the justice (retired) D Murugesan committee, which was constituted by the DMK soon after it formed the government to address the issue of government school students getting into professional courses.
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday announced that the government would extend the 7.5% reservation to government school students for admissions into professional courses like engineering, agriculture and law.
A cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister MK Stalin on Wednesday decided to table this legislation during the ensuing budget session. This was based on the recommendation of the justice (retired) D Murugesan committee, which was constituted by the DMK soon after it formed the government to address the issue of government school students getting into professional courses.
“To implement the recommendation of the commission, it has been decided to introduce a bill in the upcoming session itself to provide 7.5% reservation to students of government schools in admission to professional courses like the 7.5% quota for medical admission,” said a statement from the government.
Last year, the AIADMK during its regime introduced a 7.5% horizontal reservation to government school students, who cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions into undergraduate medical colleges.
Tamil Nadu follows a caste-based reservation policy of 69%. The composition of the 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu is -- Backward Caste (BC)- 30% (26.5% + 3.5% internal reservation for Muslims. In the 90s, BC Muslims were part of the BCs, which was made separate during the DMK regime in 2007), Most Backward Caste (MBC)- 20% (10.5% for Vanniyars, 7% for Denotified Communities (28 castes) and 2.5% for others (41 castes), Scheduled Castes- 18% (15%+ Arunthathiyars 3%) and Scheduled Tribes- 1 %.
The Cabinet also decided to present a full revised budget on August 13. Prior to that, finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan will release a white paper on the state’s finances on August 9, which will show details of revenue, debt, etc of the last ten years of the AIADMK regime. Former finance minister O Panneerselvam presented an interim budget earlier in February ahead of the assembly elections. The new government will also present a separate budget for the agriculture department at the session. The government is also planning to go digital and make this a paperless budget.
