Bhubaneswar: Odisha State Cabinet has approved a historic decision to introduce 11.25% reservation in admissions for students belonging to Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) in state public universities and government-aided higher secondary and higher education institutions. The new reservation policy will be effective from the academic year 2025–26.
The move is aimed at enhancing access to higher education for marginalized communities, in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. By promoting equity and inclusion, the government also seeks to boost the state’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education.
The reservation for SEBC students will be implemented uniformly across all state public universities and government-aided institutions under departments including School & Mass Education, Higher Education, Odia Language, Literature & Culture, and Sports & Youth Services.
With this decision, the comprehensive reservation structure in Odisha’s higher education system now includes 22.5% for Scheduled Tribes (ST), 16.25% for Scheduled Castes (SC), 11.25% for SEBC, 5% for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), and 1% for Ex-Servicemen (ESM).
Calling the Cabinet decision “historic,” Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi stated, “This is a significant decision by the Odisha government towards social justice, especially for the people who are economically backward.” He further added that the BJP-led government is committed to giving the backward classes their rightful constitutional entitlements, which he claimed had long been overlooked by previous administrations.
