Bhubaneswar: In a landmark decision, the Odisha government has significantly increased reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and introduced a new quota for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC/OBC) students in medical, engineering, and other technical and professional education courses.

On April 4, the state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved the revised reservation policy. The quota for ST students has been raised from 12% to 22.50%, while for SC students it has been increased from 8% to 16.25%. Additionally, a new 11.25% reservation has been introduced for SEBC students for the first time. The total vertical reservation will remain within the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court.

This policy will apply to admissions in medical (UG & PG), engineering, pharmacy, agriculture, architecture, management, and other professional and technical courses across state universities, affiliated colleges, ITIs, polytechnics, and allied institutions. It is expected to be implemented from the 2026-27 academic session.

The decision will open up more opportunities for students from backward communities. In engineering courses with a total of 44,579 seats, ST students will now get approximately 10,030 seats (up from around 5,349), SC students 7,244 seats, and SEBC students 5,015 seats. In medical courses with 2,421 seats (UG+PG), ST students will get 545 seats, SC students 393 seats, and SEBC students 272 seats.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi described the move as a historic step towards providing equitable representation in higher and technical education, aligning with the actual population proportions of these communities.

Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan had earlier stated that the government has taken a significant and unique decision to provide adequate reservation to SC, ST, and OBC students in medical and technical education.

He said, “The previous government, which was in power for 24 years, did not provide proper reservation. The total reservation for ST/SC students was 20 % while there was no quota for the OBC category. Now, we are restructuring the entire reservation system. The quota for ST and SC will be increased, and reservation will also be introduced for the backward classes (SEBC).”

Prominent activists and organisations representing SC, ST, and OBC communities have welcomed the decision, calling it a positive and long-awaited step towards social justice. They believe it will benefit thousands of students from marginalised sections and improve their access to prestigious courses like medicine and engineering.

Anti-caste activist Dr Rehna Raveendran welcomed the move, " Odisha government must also give due attention to the atrocities against Dalits and tribals in the state....Structural barriers must be identified and addressed. Increasing reservation for SC, ST, OBC is a welcome step."

The decision to hike reservation in medical and technical education has drawn sharp criticism from many persons belonging to the general category. They have termed the move as "murder of merit", arguing that increasing the combined SC/ST quota from 20% to 38.75% and introducing 11.25% reservation for OBCs will drastically reduce seats available for general category students on the basis of pure academic performance.

Critics claim that this expansion will compromise the quality of medical and engineering professionals in the state by prioritising caste-based quotas over competence and hard work. Despite the criticism, the overall reaction suggests that the policy is being viewed as a major initiative to make Odisha’s education system more inclusive.

The state government has asserted that this revised policy will strengthen social equality and ensure better representation of backward classes in professional education.