By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Education Minister Prof RC Laloo has informed that the State Government is engaging with the Ministry of Human Resource Development on utilization of the seats reserved for Meghalaya in the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Sohra, as per the State reservation policy.
While replying to a question raised by Nongkrem legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit (HSPDP) in the Assembly on Tuesday, Prof Laloo said that the Government wants the 45 seats reserved for the State to be utilized in accordance with the State reservation policy by allotting 18 seats to the Khasi-Jaintia category, 18 seats to Garo category, 7 seats for open category and two seats for Scheduled Castes and other tribes.
He said that the officials of the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education had also held a discussion with the Director of the NIT over the revised seat matrix in the Central Education (Reservation in Admission) Amendment Act, 2012.
In response, the NIT Director had stated that the said Amendment Act allowed for reservation in admission to the NIT, and had informed that the State Government issue a notification at the earliest so that appropriate reservations can be adopted for admission in the coming session.
“Scrutiny of records and consultation with other concerned departments has indicated that the State Reservation Policy was followed in respect of allocation of Engineering seats only thought precedent and was not specifically laid down in the form of formal orders. It is therefore proposed to issue a formal notification for serving 100 per cent of the Home State Quota of seats and to allocate them as is being followed in the allotment of engineering seats,” the NIT Director had said.Basaiawmoit pointed out that he had information that of the 45 seats reserved for the State, 22 seats have been reserved under the General category, 6 seats for Scheduled Castes, 12 seats under OBC and 4 seats for Scheduled Tribes.
“The population distribution here in Meghalaya has to be taken into account. The seats meant for Meghalaya should be distributed according to the population distribution pattern of Meghalaya,” he said.