Govt to implement 27 pc reservation for OBCs

New Delhi, May 23 : The resumed UPA left coordination meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tonight decided to implement in letter and spirit the 93rd Constitutional Amendment enabling 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions.

After about four hours meeting that resumed at 1830 hrs at the Prime Minister's 7, Race Course residence, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Finance Minister P Chidambaram informed mediapersons of the decision.

A specific bill will be brought in the Monsoon session of Parliament in this regard. They also said that a Oversight committe will soon be constituted to assess the implementation of the Amendment. ''The government will also take steps to increase the seats in the educational institutions,'' they said.

Smaller groups consisting of Deans, Directors and Vice-Chancellors of the institutions concerned will be constituted to work out the details for each class of institutions, and the Oversight committee will put together the recommendations of these groups and submit a comprehensive report by August 31.

CPI leaders A B Bardhan and D Raja told UNI that the Left parties impressed upon the government that efforts must be made that no unambiguous message should go to the people on the reservation issue and ensure that the Constitutional Amendment is impelemented in letter and spirit.

They said they were quite ''satisfied'' with the meeting emphasising that the sole agenda of the meeting was reservation.

UNI