Tamil Nadu varsities will adhere to 69% community-based reservation, instructs Minister K Ponmudy

Higher Education Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, K Ponmudy, on Tuesday, June 14, instructed all universities and colleges in the State, including the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), to follow the 69% reservation quota during admissions.

The statement from the minister came in the wake of MKU's decision to provide 10% reservation to economically weaker sections (EWS) for Biotechnology seats, funded by the Centre.

The Centre has sanctioned funds to implement 10% reservation for EWS and 49.5% for Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in certain courses. However, the minister made it clear that universities in the State will only stick to community-based reservations.

The current reservation in the State is — Backward Classes 26.5%, Most Backward Classes/Denotified Communities 20%, BC Muslims 3.5%, Scheduled Castes 18% and Scheduled Tribes 1%.

Ponmudy shared he has had a word with the Vice-Chancellor of MKU and asked him to admit students to the 30 seats of MSc (Biotechnology) as per the 69% reservation policy.

"Some universities follow the Centre's reservation system because they are getting central funds. But MKU is a State university and is completely under State's control. TN is firm on the community-based reservation," said Ponmudy.

The minister also informed that a circular will be sent to all the universities in the State instructing them to strictly adhere to the 69% reservation system while giving admissions to students. He further informed that Chief Minister MK Stalin has also appointed a committee to check the implementation of the reservation.

Last year, admissions to the two courses — MTech in Biotechnology and Computational Biology — at Anna University, which are funded by the Union government's Department of Biotechnology (DBT), kicked up a debate as the Centre wanted the university to follow the Centre's 49.5% reservation policy, which the State government opposed.

After the Madras High court's intervention, Anna University admitted DBT-sponsored students under 49.5% reservation and had also followed the 10% EWS quota.

In protest of the issue, the Chief Minister, in October last year, had written a letter to the Union Ministry of Science and Technology to advise the DBT to allow State universities to follow the reservation policy of the respective State government, as done by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).