Quota bill introduced in lok sabha

New Delhi, Aug 25: The Government today introduced, amid noisy scenes, the controversial Quota Bill to provide reservation for the SC/STs and OBCs in government and government-aided educational institutions.

Noisy scenes prevailed as members of the NDA objected to Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh trying to give a ''political speech'' instead of asking for leave to introduce the bill.

However, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said there was no provision to prevent the Minister from making any ''preface speech''.

He also informed the house that he had received three notices for objections in regard to this bill but only in one case, was the objection mentioned. ''But I have, however, allowed all the three members to present their views,'' he said.

RJD's Devendra Prasad Yadav (RJD) tried to raise the issue of difference between the bills in Hindi and English version of the copies and said if it is passed, it will create a confusion before the judiciary.

In response, the Speaker said it will be sent to the Standing Committee and he was ''sure that we are competent enough to rectify those minor differences''.

Intervening, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi said there was no mistake in the English version of the bill and what ever mistake is there is the Hindi copy will be rectified.

The Central Educational Institutional (Reservation in Admission) Bill 2006, defines the expression ''Other Backward Classes (OBC) to mean the class or classes of citizens who are socially and educationally backward and are so determined by the Central Government.'' The Bill empowers the Central Educational Institutions to increase the number of seats in a branch of study or faculty with the prior approval of the appropriate authority and provides that that the Central Government may, in consultation with the concerned authorities, permit, by notification, the Central Educational Institutions to increase the annual permitted strength over a maximum period of three years in a certain exigency.

The Bill also provides that every notification made under this bill shall be laid in both the house of the Parliament.

Earlier participating in the discussion, CPI-M's Varkala Radhakrishnan fully supported the bill but pointed out certain basic difficulties which needed to be sorted out, the most important being the issue of minority institutions.

''If the minority status of institutions is not clarified than their position will be in doldrums. Similarly the case of SC/STs will have to be specified which is not there in this bill,'' he said.

Yogi Aditya Nath (BJP) said the bill is going to divide the Indian society and create problems. It is not a good piece of legislation, he noted.

UNI