Demand for revival of varsity admission quota for rural, border belt, 1984 riot-affected pupils grows louder

Amritsar, July 10

Student organisations — Sath and United Sikh Students Federation — held a peaceful rally in support of their demand for the restoration of reservation abolished for students from the rural and border areas and 1984-riot victims in admissions at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU).

Representatives of the student organisations today gathered at the university campus to devise a strategy for the restoration of reserved quota in the admission for students.

“Till 2017, seven per cent seats were reserved for rural students, three per cent for the border area and two per cent for pupils from 1984 anti-Sikh riot affected families in the university admissions. Since 2017, the university abolished the three reserved quotas. This reservation has been converted to ex-servicemen quota. We are demanding that the quota be revived as it impacts a large number of students, who fail to get admissions and are forced to take admission in universities across Punjab,” said Jaskaran Singh Zira, Sath vice president.

Officials of the university said the quota was abolished on the basis of notifications of the Punjab Government. They said the organisations were demanding that the university should increase seats for 10 per cent rural students, three per cent for those from the border areas and two per cent for pupils from 1984 anti-Sikh riots affected families on the lines of Punjabi University, Patiala.

“Apart from this, the hike in admission fee by the university this year should be withdrawn. Regarding these two issues, a meeting was held today by student organisations. If the university does not pay attention to these demands, students will start an agitation on a large-scale,” said Jaskaran.