TN to push for 27% OBC quota in Central institutions, reservation in pvt sector too

CHENNAI: State Minister for Welfare of Backward and Most Backward Classes SS Sivasankar on Wednesday said that the government would continue to urge the Union government to implement the 27 per cent reservation in all the Central educational institutions, similar to the quota provided in medical institutions.

“It is considered that the Centre is not fully implementing the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher institutes of learning. The state government will continuously impress upon the Centre to implement 27 per cent reservation in all central educational institutions such as IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, etc.,” said Sivasankar, in the policy note of his department.

The Minister while reading out the policy note said that though there was no provision to provide reservation in private sector, it was felt that the provision of quota in private sector was essential to ensure that the incentives provided by the state to the private sector reached the members of backward classes, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

“The state will urge the Union government to bring necessary constitutional amendments to achieve the goal of providing reservation in the private sector,” the Minister informed the House.

He also said that the previous AIADMK government had set up the Justice Kulasekaran Commission to undertake caste census in the state and though the six months granted to the panel was over, it did not achieve its objective. The previous state government did not provide basic facilities to the Commission. So, the present government will urge the

Union government “to take up the complete caste census together with the national census to fulfil the long standing demand of various communities,” said the Minister.

Sivasankar further said that the present day youth do not have sufficient ideas on reservation and recollected the incident back in 2012 when he participated in a TV show in which he happened to correct a student on an issue related to reservations.

In a veiled reference to the PMK, Sivasankar said that the youth of a particular community, who have risen due to reservation, were now against the concept because their party was not an ally of the DMK. To help the youth have a better understanding and knowledge of the reservation, the state government would publish a book on the principles of reservation and social justice for which Rs 5 lakh would be allotted.