PM meets striking Medicos; Asks them not to worry about future

New Delhi, May 26 (UNI) A day after announcing that the OBC reservation issue was settled, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today met a delegation of striking medicos here and assured them the UPA Coordination Committee's reservation roadmap addressed concerns of all the sections of students.

Dr Singh, in his first meeting with the striking students and doctors, assured them that they ''need not worry about shrinking educational opportunities''.

''The UPA-Coordination Committee addresses concerns of all categories of students.... They need not worry about shrinking educational opportunities,'' Prime Minister's Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru said while reading out Dr Singh's statement after the almost hour-and-a-half-long meeting.

The medicos said they had ''good meeting'' with the Prime Minister but they had not taken any decision regarding the withdrawal of the strike.

''Dr Singh gave us a patient hearing. We have to go back to our people and talk things over with them,'' said AIIMS RDA member Dr Jitender Kumar.

He said the General Body Meeting of the Youth for Equality, which is spearheading the agitation, will make the final decision about the strike.

The Prime Minister told the 10-member delegation of the students and doctors that he foresaw a massive expansion in capacities of higher education system.

''The expansion would see a huge growth in the educational opportunities available to all classes and categories of students,'' he added.

The Prime Minster said the technical experts groups being set up under the Oversight Committee would examine ways and means of expanding the capacities.

''The Government is committed to the expansion and they could give specific suggestions to these Committees,'' he added.

Yesterday in Srinagar, Dr Singh said the government would seek all ''viable and credible ways'' to protect the interests of all sections of society.

Denying that he has remained silent on the anti-reservation agitation, he had said he was ''not averse'' to meeting anyone, but asserted that the government would stick to the decision of providing 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs.

The striking medicos submitted a charter XXX Eds pick Up here from Line one para one DI 43 AGITATION-QUOTA-PM TWO LAST NEW DELHI.

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