Friday, June 9 2006 18:46 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: Asking the government to bring a bill to empower state governments to regulate admissions and fees in all private higher educational institutions, CPI(M) today (June 9, 2006) said provisions should also be made to allocate seats to poorer sections of those outside the reserved categories.

The party's Central Committee, meeting here, said the benefits of reservation for OBCs should go to the needy sections, excluding the 'creamy layer', and asserted "There has to be an allocation of seats for students from poorer sections who do not belong to the reservation categories".

Asking the government to implement the OBC quota of 27 per cent from the 2007 academic session, the major Left party said, "There should be a commensurate increase in the seats in educational institutions".

Seeking a central legislation to empower state governments to regulate admission and fees in private higher education institutions and professional colleges, it said, "Unless this is done, a large number of students belonging to all communities will be deprived of their legitimate right to education because of the exhorbitant high fees and admissions disregarding merit".

In another statement, the party asked the government to condemn the blocking of funds by Israel and the United States to the Palestinian Authority, saying, "This immoral effort to starve Palestinian people into submission is against all international and humanitarian norms".

The CPI(M) Centra Committee also authorised the Polit Bureau to finalise with other Left parties a parliamentary delegation to be sent to Palestine to study the situation and express solidarity with the people there.