Visva-Bharati quota row: UGC rejected agitators’ demand, says HRD Ministry

The Human Resource Development Ministry said the UGC has shot down the demand by a section of agitating students of the Visva-Bharati University for restoring the quota system for direct admission into the university’s undergraduate courses. “Visva-Bharati approached UGC to consider the demands of the agitators.

However, after examining the matter, the UGC has informed the university that no reservation on domicile or internal reservation is permissible in Central Universities,” the Ministry said in response to a House question.

Visva-Bharati University Vice-Chancellor Sushanta Dutta Gupta’s decision to abolish the quota system last year had sparked protests.
Replying to another question, the Ministry said cuts in the education sector’s Budget allocation for 2015-16 were due to a higher tax devolution to the states as recommended by the Finance Commission.