Quota Bill may not be introduced in monsoon session

New Delhi, June 15: The Bill for implementing 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Classes(OBC) in institutions of higher learning may have to be deferred if is found that it's not possible to put in place the necessary infrastructure for increased seats by next academic year.

The Bill was slated to be introduced in the coming monsoon session.

A final view on this issue will be taken in the interim report of the oversight committee on quota, headed by Administrative Reforms Commission Chairman Veerappa Moily. The committee is expected to give its final report by August end.

Mr Moily today also admitted that no institute at present was prepared to implement the 27 per cent quota in one go.

''The Committee will have its interim report ready by June 30 and will submit it to government on July 10,'' he told reporters after the fouth meeting of the committee here today.

The committee may recommend postponing at the introduction of the Bill, if the situation so requires, after the proposed July 3 national colloquium.

The interim report will be finalised after the national consultations being held to elicit the view of experts and various stakeholders in order to arrive at a consensus.

''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.

Regarding implementation of the decision in one go, Mr Moily said prima facie no institute was ready to do that with the present mindset, but we will have to change this mindset and supply them with necessary infrastructure.

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, and it was specifically mandated to prepare a roadmap for increasing the number of seats in higher education institutions and determine faculty requirements so that existing number of seats did not go down for students in the general category.

Besides Mr Moily, the panel includes some 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 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.

UNI