Quota Bill tabled in Lok Sabha

By agencies   |   Friday, 25 August 2006, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: The controversial bill providing for 27 percent reservation for OBCs in central educational institutions has been tabled in Parliament. However there are three categories of institutions that will not come under the Quota Bill. These are Minority Run Institutions, Central Institutions set up in Tribal areas and Centers of Excellence, a private TV channel said. This means Institutions such as Homi Bhabha National Institute, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research; Bangalore will be exempt from the Quota Bill. The bill is now likely to be referred to a parliamentary standing committee where its finer points will be debated, the NDTV said. It will then be put forward in its final form in the winter session of Parliament. The bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet earlier this week and provides for reservation to be implemented in a staggered manner over three years, starting 2007. However, debate on the mention of the creamy layer in the bill continues to rage on. Ahead of the bill being tabled in the House, notices were given about the tabling of the bill. Meanwhile, medical students and doctors, who were on protest against quotas in institutions of higher education, have suspended their agitation for three months. The decision was taken after the bill was referred to a standing committee of Parliament. Doctors from five government hospitals in Delhi were on mass casual leave earlier today. The protest was called off after students had already assembled at MAMC and Jantar Mantar. Meanwhile AIIMS doctors have called off their leave and are back at work. Moreover, several medical and engineering students agitating against quotas were arrested in Mumbai and prevented from gathering for a protest. Around 200 doctors were arrested and then let off with a warning, the channel said.