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All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations has warned the Union Government against its half-hearted approach towards implementation of Other Backward Classes reservation policy. In a statement issued in New Delhi on 22 August 2006, SC/ST Organisations President Udit Raj said according to the 93rd Constitution Amendment, 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) had to be implemented in Government and non-Government educational institutions. “It seems that the Central Government is willing to introduce reservation policy only in Government-aided educational institutions for the present.” Udit Raj said at the Cabinet meeting held on 21 August 2006, a resolution to implement reservation in Government educational institutions was passed. A Bill to this effect would be presented in Parliament on 25 August 2006. He said instead of piecemeal implementation, 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in IITs/IIMs and other institutions of higher learning should be implemented at one go. “It is not understood why the Government is adopting dilly-dallying tactics in the implementation of 27 per cent reservation at one go when the HRD Ministry has made it abundantly clear that paucity of funds will not be allowed to stand in the way of implementation,” Udit Raj said. He said if funds could be made available for other schemes based on actual requirements, the same should be done for reservation as well. It was not difficult to raise a suitable infrastructure and other facilities if resources were made available. Udit Raj said, “In our medical colleges and other institutions of higher learning, weekly teaching hours, on an average, are from 8 to 10 hours, which is nothing short of a crime for a poor country like India where there is shortage of such institutions. If working hours of the professors are increased and two shifts are introduced in these institutions, reservation can be introduced at one go from this year itself. “We always admire the educational system in America and Europe but easily forget that there the University classes start from 6 am and depending on requirements, teaching is done in shifts. We can adopt a similar pattern in the early stages of reservation while at the same time we should go on building suitable infrastructure.” The Dalit leader said, “In States like Kerala where reservation is already available in the non-Government educational institutions, the half-hearted approach adopted by the Government will adversely affect their prospects. It will be an easy ploy for them to take the plea that; there is no reservation in the private sector though a resolution to introduce a bill to this effect has already been passed but put in the cold storage.”
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