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- All You Need To Know About OBC And EWS Quota Within All India Quota Of NEET Admissions| Medical Admission Quota System | MBBS Seats Reservation
2 hours ago Author: Ravindra Bhajani
On July 29, the Central Government has approved the reservation for OBC (Other Backward Classes) and EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) in All India Quota for admission in medical and dental colleges across the country. Under the new rule, OBC candidates will get 27% and EWS candidates will get 10% reservation. The government claims that 1,500 OBC and 550 EWS candidates will get the benefit of MBBS seats.
Come, know that what will be the effect of the decision of the Central Government on the students preparing for NEET? What was the reservation policy on medical seats till now and what will change now? Why has this decision of the central government come after the notification of NEET?
What is NEET or NEET?
- National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is a single entrance exam for medical colleges across the country. Successful students get admission in Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and Postgraduate (NEET-PG) medical and dental colleges across the country.
- The history of the introduction of NEET is no less winding down. Till 2016, the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) was conducted at the national level for admission in medical colleges across the country. States had a separate Pre-Medical Test (PMT).
- NEET was first held in 2003, but had to be closed the following year due to protests from the states. The Supreme Court on 13 April 2016 approved a new section 10-D in the Indian Medical Council Act. This paved the way for a single entrance exam for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in medical colleges across the country.
- Since then, students have to give NEET for admission in medical courses across the country. Initially CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) conducted this exam. But after the formation of the National Testing Agency (NTA), he was given this responsibility in 2018. In 2020 15.97 lakh students had participated in NEET on 13th September 2020. This year the entrance exam for undergraduate courses is being held on September 11 and for postgraduate courses on September 12.
Medical students are opposing the reservation in postgraduate. This will reduce the number of seats in the postgraduate seats for general category students.
What is the All India Quota for Medical Colleges?
- There are two types of rules for admission in state government medical colleges- 1. All India Quota and, 2. State Quota. In the state quota, the students of the natives of the state used to get admission. At the same time, students from other states also get admission in the All India Quota on the basis of merit list at the national level. All India quota holds 15% undergraduate seats and 50% postgraduate seats in state medical and dental colleges. The remaining seats come under the state quota.
- The All India Quota was also implemented by the 1986 decision of the Supreme Court. So that if a student wants to take admission in a good medical college outside his native state, then he can be allowed to do so.
- For example, if a native of Rajasthan wants admission in the Government Medical College of Maharashtra, then he can do so by making a place in the merit list of All India Quota. If all India could not make it to the quota, then the student has the hope of getting admission in the medical or dental college of his state.
- 100% seats in Deemed/Central Universities, ESIC and Armed Forces Medical Colleges (AFMC) are under All India Quota. That is, the separate provision of All India Quota remains only in government medical colleges of the states.
How is this reservation policy implemented?
- Till 2007, there was no reservation in All India quota for admission in medical colleges. But on 31 January 2007, in the case of Abhay Nath Vs Delhi University and others, the Supreme Court had ordered 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes in the All India Quota.
- After this, the government enacted the Central Education Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act 2007. Due to this, other backward class (OBC) students started getting 27% reservation in central government medical colleges – ie institutions like AIIMS. The OBC quota will be outside the All India quota in the medical colleges of the states. That is, reservation was not being given for OBC in All India quota.
- In 2019, the government passed the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act 2019. In this 10% quota was added for Economically Weaker Section (EWS). It was implemented in central educational institutions but not included in the All India quota of NEET in state institutions.
A few days ago, Union Minister Anupriya Patel along with her colleagues submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding quota for OBCs in the All India quota in NEET.
How will the system change with the new decision of the government?
- The government on July 29 decided that from the academic year 2021-22, there will be a quota for OBC and EWS in the All India quota of medical colleges. The Health Ministry says that with this decision, OBC students will get the benefit of 1,500 MBBS and 2,500 postgraduate seats. Similarly, 550 MBBS and 1,000 postgraduate seats will be reserved for EWS students.
- This is a win-win situation for both OBC and EWS. The All India Federation of OBC Employees' Welfare Report says that between 2017 and 2020, 40,800 seats in state government medical colleges went under the All India quota. It states that 10,900 OBC students could not get admission from their quota.
Why did the central government take this decision?
- Because of the decision of the Madras High Court. The biggest protest against NEET was coming from South India. Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK (DMK) and its allies had demanded a quota for OBCs in the All India Quota in the Madras High Court. On this, the High Court had ruled in its favor on 27 July 2020. But this rule was to be implemented from 2021-22.
- NEET-2021 notification was released on 13 July 2021. There was no talk of OBC reservation in All India quota. The DMK then filed a contempt petition on 19 July. On this, the Madras High Court said that not giving OBC reservation in All India seats shows that the Central Government is contemptuous of the High Court's decision.
- Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Madras High Court on July 26 that the decision to give OBC quota under the All India Quota in medical colleges of the states would be taken soon. The next hearing of the matter is on August 3.
In 2006, Delhi's medical student Arpita Majumdar became the face of the protests against the reservation. There was a protest across the country regarding the 27% reservation for OBCs in student higher educational institutions.
Will this decision have any impact on NEET?
- After the decision of the Madras High Court, many petitions have been filed. Saloni Kumari's petition has not been decided in the Supreme Court. The information booklet of NEET on the NTA website states that the decision of OBC quota in All India quota will be subject to the outcome of the case pending in the Supreme Court (Saloni Kumari).
- That is, it is clear that NTA has already made it clear that there can be a change in the All India Quota. Therefore, there is hardly any use in challenging his notification. This also means that this decision will not have any effect on the dates of NEET.