We want our own law for implementing quota, states tell Centre

New Delhi, Oct 19 (UNI) The Centre was told today that most states were ready to introduce quota in unaided private institutions but should be free to formulate their own rules and regulations in fees and other such matters.

Some of them like Uttar Pradesh said that creamy layer should not be excluded from its benefit.

The Group of Ministers on Reservation, headed by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherji, had today called state Chief Ministers and education ministers for a two-day meeting here to hear their views on the introduction of the quota in private unaided institutions.

Most of them said they were ready to implement the reservation in one go.

Today's meeting was attended by representatives of 19 states besides Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, Finanace Minister P Chidambaram besides the Defence Minister.

Education ministers of BJP-ruled states said that quota should be applicable to institutions run by religious and linguistic minorities too.

Chatttisgarh education Minister Ajay Chandrakar and Karnataka education Minister Shakarmurthy said that they told the Centre that religion, geography and language should not be consideration in introducing reservation.

However, Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Minister Ram Asrey Verma and the state's Technical and Agricultural Education Minister Yogesh Pratap Singh said such institutions had already been excluded from the purview of reservation by a constitutional amendment, so that was not the issue at today's meeting.

They, however, said they also wanted that there should be no interference of the Centre in drawing up regulations for implementing the quota plan.

They said the state had already formulated such a law, and had infact introduced quota about ten years ago with no agitation against the move.

They told the Centre that quota should be introduced in one go and not in a staggerred manner, and creamy layer should not be excluded from its benefit.

''Quota is related to social backwardness, so economic status should not be cosideration in giving or withholding the benefit,'' said Mr Sinfgh and Mr Verma.

The meeting will continue tomorrow.

UNI NAZ VD BST2031