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The Committee on Welfare of OBCs (2015-16) has found the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) and University Grants Commission (UGC) lagging behind in implementing 27 per cent reservation requirement.
The Committee, which submitted its report to Parliament on December 23, noted that despite the guidelines issued by government to implement 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Central educational institutions (CEI), the intended objective is yet to be attained fully.
The additional grant given by the Ministry to these institutions to upgrade infrastructure to facilitate implementation of OBC reservation has not been fully utilised.
Litigations delay Act Parliament had enacted the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 to provide reservation to students of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens in admission in central educational institutions.
The implementation of the Act was delayed due to litigations etc., which led to the passing of the CEI (Reservation in Admission) Amendment Act in 2012.
However, many universities still lag behind meeting the prescribed percentage for reservation.
For example, the Central University of Jammu has provided 16.30 per cent reservation, HNB Garhwal University just 5.24 per cent, and Rajiv Gandhi University merely 7 per cent reservation to OBC students in 2014-15 academic year.
Even, IITs and NITs did not perform well. While IIT Delhi has given 21.52 per cent reservation and NIT Srinagar provided 17 per cent in 2014-15.
The Committee has recommended that the Ministry of HRD hold periodic review meetings with all central institutions and take remedial measures to ensure the quota is fulfilled.
Moreover, ₹2,166 crore additional funds were allocated to central universities and ₹4,227 crore to centrally funded technical institutions for 54 per cent capacity expansion in each CEI to provide OBC reservation without reducing general category seats.
While the Ministry was unable to provide detailed information with respect to funds utilisation in central technical institutes, the Committee said that funds haven’t been fully utilised at most central universities.
“There is no effective mechanism in Ministry of HRD and University Grants Commission to monitor utilisation of funds allocated to higher educational institutions to facilitate reservation of OBCs,” the report said, adding that, “UGC has failed to perform its functional responsibility as an observant reviewer”.
Vacant posts As far as the 27 per cent reservation in faculty posts is concerned, the Committee said that despite various circulars issued by Department of Personnel and Training for holding special recruitment drives to fill vacant faculty posts, the CEIs have neither implemented DoPT guidelines nor conducted the drives.
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