New Delhi, July 29
Students from other backward classes and economically weaker sections will find it easier to study in any medical college of their choice across India from the 2021-22 academic session with the government on Thursday announcing the decision to reserve 27 per cent seats for OBCs and 10 per cent for EWS students in MBBS, PG, Dental seats earmarked under all India quota.
The Ministry of Health said it had decided to provide 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in the All India Quota (AIQ) Scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical/dental courses (MBBS / MD / MS / Diploma / BDS / MDS) from the current academic year 2021-22 onwards.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting on July 26 had directed the concerned Ministries to facilitate an effective solution to this long pending issue.
This decision would benefit every year nearly 1,500 OBC students in MBBS and 2,500 OBC students in postgraduation and around 550 EWS students in MBBS and around 1,000 EWS students in post-graduation.
The All India Quota (AIQ) Scheme was introduced in 1986 under the directions of the Supreme Court to provide for domicile-free merit-based opportunities to students from any state to aspire to study in a good medical college located in another state.
All India Quota consists of 15% of total available UG seats and 50% of total available PG seats in government medical colleges.
Initially, there was no reservation in AIQ Scheme up to 2007.
In 2007, the Supreme Court introduced reservations of 15 per cent for SCs and 7.5 per cent for STs in the AIQ Scheme.
When the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act became effective in 2007 providing for uniform 27 per cent reservation to OBCs, the same was implemented in all the Central Educational Institutions namely Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Harding Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University and Banaras Hindu University etc.
However, this was not extended to the AIQ seats of State medical and dental colleges.
That gap is being filled now.
