Odisha's New Quota System: What It Means for SC, ST, and SEBC Students

New Quota Implementation in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has announced a new notification aimed at enhancing the reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), while also introducing a quota for Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) in medical and technical education, effective from the academic year 2026-27.

This decision was made by the state cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, on April 4 of this year, and the notification has been issued by the Department of ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare.

According to the new regulations, the reservation for ST students will increase from 12% to 22.5%, while SC students will see their quota rise from 8% to 16.25%. Additionally, an 11.25% reservation has been established for OBC students, referred to as SEBC in Odisha.

It is important to note that seats reserved under the all-India quota will not be counted when determining the total number of approved seats.

Furthermore, the horizontal reservation system and the quota for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) will be implemented in line with existing guidelines.

Students from these categories will now be eligible to apply for a variety of courses, including engineering, ITI, diploma programs, technology, management, computer applications, medicine, surgery, dental studies, nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences, and veterinary science, as stated by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

The CMO also highlighted that the rights for SEBC or OBC individuals have been granted 79 years post-independence.

In Odisha, the Scheduled Tribe population stands at 22.85%, while 17.13% of the population belongs to the Scheduled Caste. Although the exact figures for educationally and socially backward classes are not available, they are believed to be significant.