OBC quota in medical education: Prime Minister Modi emphasises on out of court resolution  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged that the issue of OBC reservation in the All India quota of medical education should be resolved by the concerned ministries out of court. The PM said this during a review of the issue, government sources said.

The quota is filled through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) in medical education institutions in states and union territories (UTs).

The demand to give OBC reservation in all India quota of medical education has been pending for quite some time now despite several litigations pending in courts.

As of now, 15 percent of undergraduate and 50 percent of postgraduate seats in state government medical colleges are earmarked as All India Quota. The SC and ST have reservations in this quota, but there is no reservation for the OBCs.

“The PM Modi has also directed that the ministry of health and family welfare to also implement reservation to the economic weaker section also. The PM on July 26 also asked officials of the ministry to review the position of implementation of EWS reservation by various states for medical education,” sources said.

Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Health and Family Welfare minister Mansukh Mandavia, officials from education, health and family welfare, Law and justice, and social welfare ministries as well senior offices of PMO were present in the meeting that took place on July 26.

The 93rd Constitutional Amendment has special provisions for the admission of socially and educationally backward classes, or for the SCs, or the STs in educational institutions, including private ones, whether aided or unaided by the state, other than the minority institutions.

The issue took a political turn last year when the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI (M), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) moved the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the Centre’s decision not to grant 50% reservation to OBCs as per Tamil Nadu law in medical seats surrendered by the state in the All India Quota for undergraduate, postgraduate and dental courses for the academic session 2020-21.