Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha Election 2019, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is holding the last Union Cabinet meeting today, March 7, 2019. The session has begun, and as per sources important announcements are expected. The more significant announcement in today’s Cabinet Meeting, the proposal for promulgation of “The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2019” has been approved. It shall be noted that the ordinance considers the university/ college as a unit instead of ‘Department/ Subject.’ The universities will continue with the earlier 13-point quota formula as a unit to the calculation of reserved seats. Everything About Faculty Quota Ordinance. 

The move comes only two days after the Dalit and Adivasi rights groups around the countries went on strike to demand a reprieve of the new roster system and the quashing of the Supreme Court order evicting ten lakhs tribal and forest-dwelling families. The approval of the ordinance on the 13-point UGC roster system was much anticipated from the last cabinet meeting. Earlier the Union Human Resource Development Minister (HMRD) Prakash Javadekar was quoted in media reports as saying, “all necessary legal means will be taken and the university community will get justice.”

Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre Ordinance Benefits

The Cabinet’s decision will allow filling up above 5000 vacancies by direct recruitment in Teachers’ Cadre duly ensuring that “the Constitutional Provisions of Article 14, 16 and 21 shall be complied with and stipulated reservation criteria for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes are met with,” as tweeted by Sitanshu Kar, Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB). The decision is expected to improve the teaching standards in the higher educational institutions to attract all eligible candidates.

Read the Tweet Here

On April 7, 2017, the Allahabad High Court had struck down a UGC circular and ordered the commission to follow department-wise quota formula. Implementing the HC order, UGC in March 2018 announced the number of reserved faculty posts across universities and colleges would be revised and fixed according to the HC order. Soon after the official notice was circulated, the nation witnessed unrest among SC/ ST and OBCs. The centre in April 2018 rushed to the Supreme Court with a special leave petition (SLP) against the Allahabad HC order. In January, 2019, the SC rejected the government’s plea upholding the HC order.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 07, 2019 01:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).