The Mamata Banerjee government will introduce reservation of seats for SC/STs and OBCs in higher education in the state. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister on Wednesday. “We have decided to introduce reservation for SC (22 per cent), ST (6 per cent) and OBC (17 per cent, including minorities) students in higher educational institutions for the first time in the state,” Ms Banerjee said, adding that it was a revolutionary decision.
The chief minister made it clear that the reservations will not impinge on the existing seat availability for general category students. “The government will create additional seats for these reservations without affecting the seat prospects of general category students,” she explained. Ms Banerjee will get the West Bengal State Higher Education Institutions Reservation Bill, 2013, passed in the coming budget session of the state Assembly. “We have already provided reservations for OBCs in jobs. In order to complement jobs with higher education, this step will go a long way in uplifting the SCs, STs and OBCs in the state,” she elaborated.
She informed that for the implementation of the reservation, additional infrastructure would be created at a cost of `1,000 crore, out of which `600 crore would be spent annually.
Meanwhile, in order to improve the work culture, the state government is planning to bring a new bill: Paschim Banga Lok Pariseba Bill. “This bill will ensure that people receive proper and prompt services from various departments. They will now get services like driving licences, birth and death certificates, land conversion certificates electricity connections and health services without any problem,” she added.
If any citizen complained against any government employee of non-cooperation in providing any of these services then he would have to pay a fine between `250 to `1,000. To curb its misuse, the government will impose some safeguards.