In a major boost for social inclusion in Higher Education, the Odisha government has announced enhanced reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) students in technical and professional courses.
Also Read: Odisha increases reservation quota in professional educational institutions
The revised reservation policy will come into effect from the current academic session and cover a wide range of institutions and programmes.
Under the new policy, reservation for ST students has been increased from 12% to 22.5%, while the quota for SC students has been raised from 8% to 16.25%. For the first time, SEBC students will receive 11.25% reservation in technical and professional education, where no such provision existed earlier.
The decision, approved by the State Cabinet on April 4, is expected to benefit lakhs of students from socially disadvantaged communities. Following the issuance of the official memorandum, departments concerned have been directed to implement the revised reservation system immediately.
The policy will apply to Engineering, Technology, Management, Computer Applications, Medicine, Surgery, Dental Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy, Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Agriculture, Architecture and other professional courses offered by Universities, affiliated colleges, ITIs and polytechnic institutions across the State.
Students and educationists have welcomed the move, describing it as a significant step towards ensuring equitable access to higher education and improving representation in skilled professions. The lack of proportional representation in technical education had long been cited as a factor contributing to disparities in employment opportunities.
The announcement has also triggered political debate. Opposition Congress party questioned the absence of a separate reservation provision for women within the new framework. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) claimed that its long-standing demand for expanded reservation had finally yielded results.
Responding to the criticism, Odisha Minister Nityananda Gond said previous governments had failed to implement such measures despite promises, while the current BJP-led government had succeeded in doing so within two years.
“Previous governments could not deliver even after ruling the State for so many years. However, the current BJP government, the Mohan Majhi government, delivered it in just two months. They should thank the BJP-led government for this. They didn’t actually have any empathy or sincerity for the ST, SC, and SEBC communities, which is why they never did it,” Minister Gond expressed.
The new reservation framework is expected to reshape access to professional education in Odisha, with its impact likely to be closely watched in the coming years.
“Meritorious students losing opportunities in education and jobs due to reservations should not happen. However, the government should also review this, because if we implement this generation after generation, then meritorious students of the general category will suffer,” eminent educationist, Professor Raghunath Panda, stated when contacted.
Reported By: Rashmiranjan Das, Chandrakant Jena