On May 29, the very day the Supreme Court observed that quotas can divide the nation and asked the Government to explain its rationale behind the 27% OBC quotas, HRD Minister Arjun Singh further tightened the quota screws on the higher-education sector, both public and private.

In a note prepared that day for the Cabinet, his Ministry has proposed a legislation with provisions that give the Government unprecedented power not only to impose quotas in over 100 “deemed universities” over and above 32 Central institutions but also to regulate their fees, selection procedure—and even take punitive action.

So not just IITs, IIMs and AIIMS, the institutions which are brought into the 27% OBC quota net include Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani; Manipal Academy of Higher Education; Pune’s Symbiosis International Education Centre and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

According to the note, obtained by The Sunday Express, the key provisions of the proposed Bill, titled Central Educational Institutions (Reservation of Seats and Regulation of Admission and Fee) Bill, 2006, are:

• Quotas specified: 15 for SCs; 7.5 for STs and 27 for OBCs

• New names in this quota net: Institutions, aided and unaided by the Government, and deemed to be universities will now be “Central educational institutions” to which the above percentages will apply.

• UGC decides: The University Grants Commission will have the power to regulate admissions and fees in these institutions.

• Two fee packages: There will be a “differential fee structure” for SC/ST/OBC students to make “reservation a meaningful reality.” The Centre can specify what the difference in fees should be.

... contd.