Karnataka announces 7.5% reservation for rural government school students in professional courses

The Karnataka government has announced a 7.5% special horizontal reservation in professional courses for rural government school students under its new ‘Vidyarthi Sahayahastha’ initiative. The reservation will cover students who have studied from Class 1 to 10 in government schools in rural areas of the state.

The announcement was made by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar during his address to the people in Bengaluru on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day celebrations.

According to the Karnataka School Education & Literacy Department, the 7.5% reservation will be provided within the existing 15% rural reservation quota. The special reservation will apply to professional courses, including medical and engineering seats.

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Karnataka 7.5% reservation for government school students

The state government described the initiative as a landmark step aimed at providing greater opportunities to students studying in rural government schools.

According to the department's post, under the ‘Vidyarthi Sahayahastha’ scheme, students who have completed their education from Class 1 to Class 10 in government schools in rural areas will be eligible for the special horizontal reservation.

The department said the additional reservation will be carved out of the existing 15% rural reservation, rather than being added as a separate quota.

Reservation to cover medical, engineering seats

The special reservation will also apply to the allocation of seats in professional courses, including medical and engineering programmes.

The move is expected to provide rural government school students with additional opportunities to secure admission to professional courses through the reservation framework.

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‘Vidyarthi Sahayahastha’ announced on Independence Day

The scheme was announced during the 80th Independence Day celebrations in Bengaluru. The School Education & Literacy Department shared details of the initiative through its official X page.

The department described the scheme as a landmark initiative and said it would provide a 7.5% special horizontal reservation to eligible rural government school students.

The information currently available does not specify the date from which the reservation will be implemented or provide details of the admission process and eligibility documentation. Further government guidelines are expected to clarify these aspects.