New Delhi: The Union Government has found out a middle path to deal with the controversy over its plan to implement reservation for OBCs in Central institutes.
Hours after the Group of Ministers submitted its report to the PM on the quota issue, Union Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a delegation of medical students that the government will implement the OBC quota in a phased manner and this will not lead to any reduction in the number of seats for the general category.
Pranab Mukherjee was a member in the GoM, which was constituted last week by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review the proposal.
Defence Minister met the representatives of the striking junior doctors in an effort to resolve the crisis.
Emerging out of the meeting with Pranab Mukherjee, the medical students quoted the Union Minister as saying that the 27 per cent reservation will be brought in in three phases -- 9 per cent each year.
However, the reservation will be brought about 'only' when the government enhances the infrastructure facilities.
This is to ensure that the number of seats for the general category remains the same.
Mukherjee also told the students that there would be no non-political judicial committee to look into the quota issue, as demanded by them.
The government also made it clear to the students that if the strike is not called off by Sunday, the medical wing of the Army will be called in to take over the hospitals.
Toughening its stand, the Health Ministry also warned that stringent action would be taken against medicos who continue to abstain from work to oppose the proposed 27 per cent reservations for OBCs.
On Saturday, the government published advertisements in the press for recruitment of doctors in Central government-run hospitals.
Officials said walk-in interviews would begin on Monday.
Earlier, the GoM forwarded its report to the Prime Minister, favouring implementation of the quota for OBCs as soon as possible and recommending an increase in seats in elite educational institutions.
PAGE_BREAK
"The Group of Ministers held a meeting on Saturday and forwarded its report to the Prime Minister's Office," a source said.
The report favoured implementation of the quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as soon as possible.
However, it also recommended increasing the number of seats in educational institutes in a phased manner so that general category seats are not reduced.
The government also made it clear that the setting up of new AIIMS-like institutions across the country would result in more seats for the general category, sources said.
"The Group of Ministers has worked out a formula to increase the number of seats as well as institutions to ensure that the general category remained unaffected while implementing the quota," a source said.
"A judical committee was our demand. But now we are demanding the constitution of an expert committee comprising members from non-political organisations to review the existing reservation policy and find out whether reservation for OBCs is required at all," said Vinod Patra, President of the Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS.
On Friday, doctors had expressed skeptism at the government's assurance to increase the number of seats in medical institutions, saying this would need appropriate infrastructure, teachers and hospitals.
Corporate leaders and business schools have stoutly opposed the idea of increasing seats, especially in management institutes, saying quality would suffer.
The Group of Ministers was constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to hold talks with political parties and academicians to evolve a comprehensive package in the wake of the anti-reservation stir that crippled healthcare services in several parts of the country.
(With PTI inputs)
Comments
0 comment