After OBC quota order for GMCH seats, Chandigarh admn urges MHA to withdraw decision

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, August 30

The Chandigarh Administration has requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to withdraw the condition of making provision for the OBC reservation in the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, on the plea the institute does not qualify as a central education institution.

The UT Health Secretary has requested the MHA to “re-examine/re-consider” the matter and that it may be “withdrawn/kept in abeyance till a considered decision is taken on the above issues”.

The ministry had on July 18 sent a communication stating the GMCH-32 was administered by the UT of Chandigarh, which came directly under the administration of Union Government. By virtue of this, the institution was governed by the Central Education Institution (CEI) and it was obligatory to reserve seats for OBC candidates, it had stated.

The UT has clarified as per the definition of CEI under Section 2 (d) of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, no condition of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) was fulfilled by the GMCH-32.

In fact, in 2008, the MHA was informed by the Secretary, Social Welfare, Chandigarh, all degree colleges in the UT were affiliated with Panjab University, which was not a central university, and therefore, the colleges were not covered under Section 2(d) of the Act.

The UT has further clarified there was no mandatory obligation on part of the administration to extend reservation to OBCs and also stated the issue of CEI might fall in the domain of the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, now changed to Ministry of Education, instead of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

July 18 communique by Centre

• On July 18, the MHA had said OBC quota was obligatory at GMCH-32 as it was a Central Education Institution owing to overarch by UT, which came under the Union Government
• The UT has said the GMCH didn’t fulfil any condition of the CEI as per its definition under Section 2 (d) of the CEI (Reservation in Admission) Act
• It requested the MHA to “re-examine/re-consider” the matter and withdraw or keep it in abeyance till a considered decision is taken on the issue