Huge SC, ST, OBC vacancies in Central Universities despite UGC reminders: Education minister tells Parliament

INFORMATION shared by the Education Ministry with Parliament on Monday revealed that a huge chunk of vacancies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in all Central Universities and research institutions are lying unfilled.

In all the Central Universities as on April 1, a total of 2389 posts reserved for SCs were lying vacant against 5737 sanctioned reserved posts. Of the 3097 sanctioned reserved posts for STs, 1199 posts were vacant and for the OBCs, a total of 4251 post were lying vacant of the 7815 reserved sanctioned posts.

Screenshot of the Education Ministry’s response in Parliament.

In the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISERs), of the 71 sanctioned reserved posts for the SCs, 28 posts were lying vacant.

In the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), 168 posts were reserved for the SCs, but a total of 34 posts were lying vacant.

All these institutions also have huge vacancies for STs and OBCs as well.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the UGC had been requesting the universities to ensure that vacant positions there, as well as in colleges affiliated to the universities, are filled at the earliest. However, the onus of filling up the vacant posts lies on the Central Universities, which are autonomous and created under Acts of Parliament, he said.

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