M A I N   N E W S

No pay for striking doctors, says Ramadoss
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 14
Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said that reservation would be implemented in institutes like AIIMS, PGI, Chandigarh, and JIPMER, Pondicherry, from next year by raising the retirement age of faculty members to 62.

He said the government was keen to introduce quota for OBCs in these institutions from next year and was making efforts to increase the infrastructure.

Referring to the concern expressed by AIIMS and the PGI about the lack of preparedness to increase the seats in view of the resource and faculty crunch, the minister said the problem could be solved by increasing the retirement age in government institutions and by appointing retired professors on contract.

In the private sector, the retirement age for professors in higher educational institutions could be raised to 70 years, he said.

He said no pay would be given to doctors who went on strike over the quota issue. He said the doctors were not above the law that says no work, no pay.

Asked why the government was penalising the doctors despite the Supreme Court’s assurance to them that if they went back to work no punitive action would be taken against them, he said the government had not taken any punitive action against them for loss of duty. The government would pay the salaries only if the court directed it to.

Moily: no phased implementation of quotas
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 14
Acknowledging that the implementation of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher education institutions would need upgrading the infrastructure and providing more finances, Oversight Committee, Chairman, M Veerappa Moily, however, ruled out the possibility of suggesting a phased execution of the quotas.

Speaking to the Tribune, Mr Moily said, “the committee is mandated to facilitate the implementation of the reservation before the 2007 academic session, how it will be done is the government’s prerogative.”

Asked if the committee would suggest a phased implementation of the reservation policy, Mr Moily said, “We have received such suggestions, but we cannot dictate the terms”.

He added, “we have to ensure that while the reservation policy is implemented the seats of the general category are not decreased and the quality of institutions is also not compromised”.

The Oversight Committee appointed by the Prime Minister is scheduled to meet in the Capital tomorrow.

In a meeting held on June 8, the Committee had announced its decision to organise a national colloquium and present an interim report to the government before submitting their final report on August 31.

Sources said the committee had been given the suggestion that in view of the problems related to finances and infrastructure that would crop up during the implementation of the 27 per cent quotas, the reservation should be carried out in a phased manner.

It was mentioned that quotas in IITs/IIMs/AIIMS could be implemented from academic year 2007-08 while the same in Central universities and institutes of Central government from 2008-09 and deemed universities and unaided private educational institutions from 2009-10.

Anti-quota protests in WB

Kolkata, June 14
After a lull, anti-quota protesters returned to Kolkata streets with over 150 IT professionals taking out a candle-light march this evening against the Centre’s move to introduce reservation for OBCs in educational institutes.

The protest, spearheaded by the Youth for Equality, which had begun the nationwide movement earlier, is being supported by the Science and Rationalist Association of India. The protest was aimed at keeping up the momentum of the nationwide agitation till such time that the Supreme Court gave its verdict in the matter, he said. — PTI