Govt may table OBC quota bill this week

NEW DELHI: The UPA government appears to have made up its mind to introduce a bill to implement 27 per cent reservation for the other backward classes in institutions of higher education in the current session of Parliament.

A special Cabinet meeting has been convened on Monday to discuss the bill, which may be tabled this week. The monsoon session ends on August 25.

Considering the heat the issue has generated, the government was divided on tabling the bill now, a source said. A section wanted to wait for the recommendations of the Veerappa Moily Committee, set up to oversee the implementation of quotas.

The Moily Committee, in its interim report, recommended staggered implementation of quotas for OBCs in institutions like the IITs, IIMs, and medical colleges. The final report is expected by the month-end.

With the issue of the so-called creamy layer yet to be settled, and some constituents of the ruling United Progressive Alliance pushing for quotas in one go, the government did not want to get into a debate right now.

But, the source said, Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh met the PM thrice in the interim to push his case. Its introduction is seen as a compromise; the PM had promised to table it in the monsoon session. The source indicated that after the bill is tabled, it may be referred to a joint committee of Parliament.

Another source hinted that two bills are being prepared, one for unaided, private institutions and deemed universities and the other for government-aided and affiliated institutions.