CENTRE LOWERS PHD AND MPHIL CUTOFFS FOR SC/ST STUDENTS

NEW DELHI: The government has notified an amendment to the rules for admission to Mphil and PHD programmes in universities across the country, lowering by 5% the marks cut-off for students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes to fill mounting vacancies in reserved seats.

Called ‘Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Mphil/phd Degrees (1st Amendment) Regulations 2018’, the notification issued by the University Grants Commission says “a relaxation of 5% of marks, from 50% to 45%, shall be allowed for the candidates belonging to SC/ ST/OBC (Non Creamy layers)/ Differently Abled category in the examination conducted by the Universities”.

HT had first reported on August 23 that the government was planning to issue such a notification. The notification also permits universities to launch a admission drive to fill seats that remain vacant despite the relaxation. “Provided further that, if in spite of the above relaxation, the seats allotted for SC/ST/OBC (Non Creamy layer)/differentlyAbled categories remain unfilled, the concerned Universities shall launch a Special Admission Drive, for that particular category within one month from the date of closure of admissions of General Category. The concerned University will devise its own admission procedure, along with eligibility conditions to ensure that most of the seats under these categories are filled,” the notification reads.

R Subrahmanyam, secretary, higher education, in the HRD ministry, had earlier said the government was hoping the move would help reduce vacancies in such courses. “The government is concerned with the reduced numbers of PHD admissions from SC/ST categories after the introduction of the two-step admission process,” he said.