Centre assures Congress MP 27% OBC representation in Central Institutions in Hyderabad

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has assured that the Centre will implement 27% reservations for the Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in the Central universities in Hyderabad and also appoint the Vice-Chancellor of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) at the earliest.

Mr. Pradhan assured this in a written reply to Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, who sought the Centre to ensure implementation of 27% OBC reservations in EFLU, University of Hyderabad, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) and IIT Hyderabad. Mr. Reddy raised the issue in Parliament first and later submitted the request to the Minister personally seeking to fill up vacancies so that OBCs constitute 27% of the faculty in these central institutions. He met the Minister during the Parliament sessions seeking urgent action in this regard. He informed the Minister that OBC faculty under-representation persisted due to non-compliance with the 27% reservation policy. Mr. Pradhan also assured that the Vice-Chancellor for EFLU would be appointed soon. Mr. Reddy said academics were being affected due to the absence of a regular VC for the last couple of years. Swift action is key to ensuring constitutional justice, equity and accountability in higher education, he said.