Rajya Sabha approves amended Central Educational Institutions Act

Rajya Sabha approves amended Central Educational Institutions Act

The Rajya Sabha passed amendments to the Central Educational Institutions Act, 2006, exempting some central institutions from implementing the other backward castes (OBC) quota.

The amendment is applicable to institutions where implementation of the Act exceeds the 50 percent reservation limit fixed by the Supreme Court.

The move seeks to balance state and central reservation policies. The amendment says that if seats reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in a central educational institution exceed 50 percent of the annual strength permitted, the institution need not make any reservation for OBCs.

According to the amendment, if such an institution is located in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Assam’s tribal areas, the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates will not be reduced from the level obtaining on the date immediately preceding the date of the Act’s commencement.

In case the institution is in any other area, the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates will be reduced to 50.