1 seat per course to be reserved for orphans in technical institutes

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to reserve one seat per course for orphaned students across all government, government-aided and private technical education institutions in the state.

The reservation will also apply to Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), polytechnics, engineering colleges and pharmacy institutes.

“The initiative aims to provide equitable access of quality technical education to orphaned children. By eliminating structural and financial barriers, the government seeks to offer these students a fair and dignified opportunity to pursue their career aspirations,” said an official spokesperson.

He stated that admissions under the new category would be strictly based on merit, with eligibility determined through verification by competent authorities. The move does not involve increasing the total number of sanctioned seats or imposing any additional infrastructural or financial burden on the institutions. Instead, it focuses on better utilisation of existing resources to promote inclusivity without compromising on quality, the spokesperson added.

“The initiative complements other welfare efforts, notably the Mukhyamantri Sukh-Aashray Yojana, a flagship scheme under which orphaned children have been granted the status of ‘children of the state’,” he said.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had taken the decision to take on the responsibility for the comprehensive care, education and well-being of the orphaned children till the age of 27 years. Himachal is the first state in the country to grant legal rights to the orphans by enacting a law, he added.