Dhumal for 50 per cent seats for HP students in NITs

Shimla, Jun 16 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today urged the Centre to reserve 50 per cent seats for Himachal students in National Institutes of Technology (NITs) outside the state.

Till last year, students of the state were admitted to NIT Hamirpur and other NITs on the merit of the students from the state. However, any change in this system would be against the interests of the students of the state, he said in his letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Mr Dhumal said the Centre's decision to stop admission of Himachal students in other NITs unless they secure high marks would be against the interests of the students securing admission in engineering courses and NITs institutes.

He urged the Prime Minister to reconsider the decision, keeping in view the difficult topography and geographical conditions of the state.

These conditions provide the students of the state limited opportunity of coaching and related facilities, he said and added that this was necessary as the students of the state had to pursue their studies in a difficult environment.

The Chief Minister said the new system would deprive a large number of students of the state to secure admission in the NITs outside the state.

Mr Dhumal also urged the Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh not to modify the admission procedure for the students of the state.

UNI AS PS BP1732