Centre approves OBC quota in NTSE Stage II exam

NEW DELHI: Reservation for OBC students in National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)-stage II conducted by the NCERT has been approved, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said today.

The 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Class students will be effective from 2019 as the process for the 2018 examination has already commenced, the minister said.

The reservation for OBC students will be in addition to already existing 15 per cent quota for scheduled caste students, 7.5 per cent for students from Scheduled Tribes and four per cent for physically challenged students.

"Approved reservation for #OBC students in #NTSE National Talent Search Examination Stage-II conducted by @NCERT," Javadekar said in a tweet.

He also said that increasing the number of scholarships from 1,000 to 2,000 for the second stage of NTSE is also under "active consideration".

Class 11 and 12 students get Rs 1,250 per month under the scholarship, while undergraduate and postgraduate students get Rs 2,000. For PhD students, the amount is decided according to UGC norms, he added.

The stage-1 of the examination is conducted by state governments, while the stage-II is conducted the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to identify and nurture talented students.

Sources said the state governments may also be asked to provide reservation to the OBC category. Some states are already providing the OBC reservation.

Earlier, the Aurangabad bench of Bombay high court had asked to study the feasibility and necessity of providing quota to OBC students, the sources said.

Following it, an NCERT committee had favoured quota for OBC students to be implemented as per central government norms, they added.