IITs receive more application this year from OBC candidates

Mumbai: As reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) has been implemented in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country to make education accessible for the OBC students, the competition also increases among them as IITs have received more applications from this category for the academic year 2009-2010.

Out of total received 3.95 lakh applications, around 1.55 lakh applications have been received from OBC category.

This year more than 98,000 OBC candidates will appear for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), scheduled to be held on April 12, 2009.

Around 45,000 applicants from this category appeared for the JEE in 2007. It was in 2008, IITs implemented 9 percent reservation for OBC aspirants.

"Out of total applied more than 75 percent belong to the non creamy layer," informed Bhaba Sarma, JEE chairman at IIT-Guwahati.

IIT Guwahati is the conducting institute for this year's JEE.

"But this is preliminary data. We are yet to go through 16,000 more applications received online. This year, the seven old IITs will set aside 18 percent seats for OBC candidates, and the eight new ones will have 27 percent reservation for them," added Sarma.

The number of OBC applicants has increased dramatically from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs.4.5 lakh with the government raising the income ceiling for non-creamy layer.

Echoing the same, Gautam Barua, Director IIT Guwahati said, "An OBC student who scored 80% or 85% will psychologically feel that he has a better chance to get into the IITs now that there is reservation. With so many OBC applicants, the IITs may be able to fill all the seats reserved in that category."

"I can't think of any other reason why so many candidates would apply,'' said P. V. Indiresan, former director IIT-M.

Close to 90,000 OBC students from the non-creamy layer will compete for 1,245 seats (72 aspirants to a seat). And close to 2.3 lakh general category candidates will vie for 3,728 spots (62 hopefuls per seat).

In 2008, 1,134 candidates from OBC category qualified for 13 IITs across the country.

Source: http://indiaedunews.net/IIT/IITs_receive_more_application_this_year_from_OBC_candidates_7213/