Oversight panel has Moily at the helm

Former Karnataka chief minister M Veerappa Moily will be chairman of the Oversight Committee which implements the OBC reservations in Central educational institutions...

Former Karnataka chief minister M Veerappa Moily will be chairman of the Oversight Committee which implements the OBC reservations in Central educational institutions, expanding intake and infrastructure. Secretaries for planning, finance, agriculture, health and education will be members of the committee.

Separate sub-committees will look into each stream of education and the government will spend any amount of money for the expansion of higher education, senior government functionaries said after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a detailed analysis of all aspects concerning the issue at a meeting on Sunday.

The government has promised agitating doctors that medical seats will go up by 60 per cent next year and be doubled by 2008. The PM told the officials to move fast so that the increase in intake does not put undue pressure on infrastructure. The government will explore using state government run hospitals to start new courses, initiate recruitment of faculty besides extending retirement age to 65. 8216;8216;There may be a little pressure next year, but by 2008 things will be smooth,8217;8217; a senior official said.

After several hours of negotiations between the agitating students and Union Minister Oscar Fernandes and Principal Secretary T K A Nair, the PM was briefed about the developments. By late evening, Fernandes issued a statement reiterating the government position. Firstly, that it is 8216;8216;committed to expand medical education facilities in order to ensure that aspirations of all sections of the society are fulfilled8217;8217;. Secondly, it is committed to provide resources for expanding existing facilities of higher education and start new ones.

On the contentious demand of protesting students to set up a review committee to revisit the question of reservation per se, the statement said, the 8216;8216;government has taken note of this demand and will get it examined8217;8217;.

Government sources engaged in negotiations said, after today8217;s statement, there is no justification for any strike. 8216;8216;It is a win-win for everyone, and the country8217;s higher education sector will have a lot more funds and possibilities now. We expect the protesters to see reason and go back to work,8217;8217; a senior funtionary said.

Meanwhile, as anti-quota protesters hit the roads in more states, Congress showed signs of a more assertive position favouring reservations, the rift within the party over the issue notwithstanding. The review committee on reservation 8212; the only remaining demand of the protesters 8212; is out of question, senior party sources said, though the official statement said the demand will be 8216;8216;examined8217;8217;. Fernandes also made it clear that 27 per cent OBC quota was non-negotiable.