Oversight panel on quota seeking national consensus

New Delhi, Jun 8 (UNI) The oversight panel set up to suggest roadmap for implementing 27 per cent quota for OBCs would soon submit an interim report and have a brain storming session with experts from across the country to reach a national concensus for its final report, to be submitted on August 31.

''In view of the urgency of the matter, we are preparing an interim report and would elicit the views of everybody concerned to broadbase our recommendations,'' chairman of the oversight committee Veerappa Moily told reporters here after the third meeting of the committee.

For this purpose, a national consultation with experts from different fields will be held in the capital on july three and a website of the committee will be launched next week so that people could give their views and suggestions to the committee, said Mr Moily.

''We would have brain storming sessions with experts and would try to elicit the views of everybody concerned. The idea is to prepare a road map for ensuring equitable distribution of educational opportunities,'' said the chairman.

He said the fourth meeting of the committee will be held on June 15 at which it would finalise its conceptual paper.

Replying to a question, he said the main issue before the committee was how to put in place the required physical infrastructure and increase faculty for accommodating greater number of students in the short time at hand as the quota proposals are to be implemented from 2007 academic years.

The present number of general category students and merit will be maintained while giving 27 per cent quota to Other Backward Classes(OBCs) in institutions of higher learning,'' Mr Moily had earlier said.

Replying to a question about the apprehensions expressed by some experts, including chairmen of sub-groups, about the short time at hand to add additional infrastructure for the proposed increase in seats, Mr Moily said that their apprehensions and concerns were real, but today's was an age of technology and infrasturcture can be put up in a very short time.

About a question on ''creamy layer'', he said that though the issue was not in the mandate given to the committee, it was open to consider this question if asked.

The 13-member committee was set up on May 29 with the approval of the Prime Minister in the wake of intensification of the anti-quota stir. Besides Mr Moily, the Administrative Reforms Commission Chairman, the panel includes some of the top technocrats and administrators.

The ''Oversight Committee'' will get input from 21 experts on engineering, management and academic education and give its findings by August 31.

Planning Commission Member Secretary R R Shah is the group's Member Secretary, and the Members include Planning Commission Member Secretary B Mungekar, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Director General R Mashelkar and University Grants Commission Chairman Sukhadeo K Thorat.

They also include Bangalore-based National Law School's former Vice Chancellor G Mohan Gopal, All India Council for Technical Education Vice Chairman R A Yadav, Indian Council of Medical Research Director General N K Ganguly and Former Secretary R V Vaidyanatha Ayyar.

The Secretaries of the Secondary and Higher Education Department, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, the Agricultural Research and Education Department and the Expenditure Department are its Ex-Officio Members.

The committee would get inputs from three Groups which will go into specific details about Universities and Institutes and submit their recommendations by July 31, 2006 on the course of action to be taken to give effect to the reservation in a time-bound manner.

The first Group, on Technological and Engineering Institutions, is headed by former Anna University Vice Chancellor M Anandakrishnan, the second Group, on Management Institutions, by former Indian Institute of Management Director Samuel Paul, and the third Group, on Central Universities, by Jamia Hamdard Chancellor Sayed Hamid.

UNI