Anti-quota stir: Medicos to continue strike

Medicos to continue their strike as there has been no assurance from Govt that the no of general category seats would not decrease.

The medicos on Saturday continued their two-week-old strike against the proposed quota for OBCs in elite educational institutions, saying there was no assurance from the government that the number of general category seats would not decrease with the implementation of the reservations.

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"Meetings (with the Health Secretary) so far have not clarified that the number of general category seats would not go down due to the implementation of the quota," said Vinod Patro, President of the AIIMS' Resident Doctors Association.

The medicos along with numerous supporters from various streams have gathered at the Ramlila Ground in Delhi for a rally to protest the proposed reservations for OBCs.

While the government has announced that the quota would be implemented from next year, the process of increasing seats in various medical institutes will take about three to four years, Patro said.

"If the increase in seats will take place over so many years, the implementation of the quota should also occur in phases," he demanded.

The medicos have also been demanding the setting up of a committee of experts to review the reservation policy, on which there has not been any word from the government.

Hundreds of traders, chemists, teachers and representatives of the Indian Medical Association and RWAs joined the "Delhi Aao Desh Bachao" rally organised by the striking medicos.