10% EWS reservation in two phase

The cenntre purpose of 10% quota for the (economically-weaker section) EWS across all institutes in two academic sessions, or by 2020, and ensure a more self-disclosure based quota regime for private institutes, as it readies an ambitious new bill to bring higher education private institutes under the reservation rulebook from 2020.

The plan is to ensure that private educational institutes also mandatorily implement the existing 49.5% combined OBC, SC and ST quota starting this year –– provided the government’s proposed new legislation passes muster in Parliament.

The government is trying to pilot the new legislation in the Budget session of Parliament to bring in private higher educational institutes under the quota regime. BJP Government plans to effect both the SC, ST and OBC reservations (in keeping with the 93rd Amendment) and the EWS quota (recently brought in through the 103rd Amendment) in private institutes through a new Bill from this year on.

It is, however, considering a more decentralised and institute-based mechanism for the implementation of the quota regime in private institutes rather than have a top-down one with specifics dictated by the Centre.

Sources indicated that private institutes may be asked to draw up their own action plan for the implementation of reservations for SC, ST, OBCs and EWS. Private institutes may be asked to put out this action plan on their website and implement them, failure of which will invite action from regulatory bodies.

There is still no clarity on the financial implications of the quota regime and the funding, if any, that will be borne by the government. Both the Constitutional amendments –– 93rd and 103r currently provide an enabling framework for bringing private institutes under the reservation umbrella but in the absence of a specific law and litigation on it, the question has stayed open-ended so far.