Odisha government notifies revised SC, ST quotas; introduces 11.25% SEBC reservation from 2026-27

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday issued a notification for implementing the enhanced quota for SC and ST and introducing a quota for the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) in medical and technical education starting from the academic year 2026-27. The state cabinet, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, took this decision on April 4 this year, and the Department of ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare has issued the notification.

As per the order, the quota for ST students is raised from 12 per cent to 22.50 per cent, while it has been enhanced from 8 per cent to 16.25 per cent for SCs. The state government has introduced an 11.25 per cent quota for OBC students, who are known as SEBC in Odisha. Seats reserved for the all-India quota will not be included when the total approved seats are considered, it said.

At the same time, the horizontal reservation system and quota for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) will be implemented in accordance with the prevailing norms. With this, students from all these categories will be eligible to apply for courses like engineering, ITI, diploma, technology, management, computer applications, medicine, surgery, dental, nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences, veterinary science, etc, offered in various universities, their affiliated colleges and educational institutions of the state, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement.

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The SEBC or OBC people got their rights 79 years after independence, it said. In Odisha, the population of Scheduled Tribes is 22.85 per cent, while 17.13 per cent of the people belong to the Scheduled Caste. Although the number of educationally and socially backward classes is not known, it is quite high, the CMO said.