'Quota proposal stands, step fully constitutional'

New Delhi, May 15: The Government today said the quota for the backwards in central educational institutions was under consideration and was within the legislative competence of Parliament.

After the 93rd amendment to the Constitution, Article 15 has been amplified to enable Parliament and state legislatures to make appropriate law for the purpose, Minister of State for Human Resource Development M A A Fatmi told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He said the state governments had been advised to devise suitable laws for this purpose.

The Minister, however, said no decision had been taken by the central government in this regard.

Relying to a question on the number of seats in central universities and IITs and IIMs and number of those reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Indian Institutes of Technology, the Minister said the information was being collected and will be placed in the House soon.

To another question on increase in seats in IITs, he said these institutes were autonomous institutions having their own policy for intake of students. They are, however, encouraged by the Government to increase the annual intake of students, he said.

UNI

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