Bhubaneswar: In a landmark move, the Odisha government is set to implement its decision to increase quota for Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) students in engineering and medical education from 2026-27 academic year.
A formal memorandum in this regard was released by the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development, Minority Communities and Backward Classes Welfare Department.
According to the revised policy, reservation for ST students in technical education has been increased from 12 per cent to 22.50 per cent, while the quota for SC students has been raised from 8 per cent to 16.25 per cent.
In a significant move, an 11.25 per cent reservation has also been introduced for SEBC students, who previously had no reservation in technical education institutions.
The state government said t
he decision aims to ensure proportional representation of socially disadvantaged communities in professional education and align reservation in technical courses with the quota already available in government employment and general higher education programmes.
As per official data, Scheduled Tribes constitute 22.85 per cent of Odisha’s population, while Scheduled Castes account for 17.13 per cent. Reservation in government jobs and general degree courses such as BA, BCom and BSc already stands at 22.50 per cent for STs, 16.25 per cent for SCs and 11.25 per cent for SEBCs. However, reservation in technical education had remained significantly lower, with no provision for SEBC students.
The enhanced reservation policy will apply across state universities, affiliated colleges and educational institutions, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Polytechnics offering professional and technical courses.
The revised quota structure will cover disciplines including Engineering, Technology, Management, Computer Applications, Medicine, Surgery, Dental Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy, Allied Health Sciences, Veterinary Sciences, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Agriculture and Allied Sciences, Architecture, Planning, Cinematic Art and Technology, among other technical and professional streams.
Officials said the move would help improve access to professional education for students from ST, SC and SEBC communities and strengthen their representation in higher education and public employment opportunities.