New Delhi: The Delhi government Monday announced five percent reservation for other backward classes (OBCs) students in all its educational institutions from the current academic year.

This is the first phase of 27 percent reservation for OBC students to be implemented by 2012-13.

"The OBCs will get five percent reservation in admissions to all institutes including technical and higher educational institutions under the Delhi government," Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said here after a cabinet meeting.

"The government would enhance the number of seats by 10 percent so that general category candidates do not face problem," she added.

The reservation would be applicable in all diploma, undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate courses.

Asked about infrastructure for the additional seats, Dikshit said: "We will assess the number of applications this year and according to that we would increase the infrastructure."

Capacity building up to 54 percent was a key recommendation of the Oversight Committee headed by former Karnataka chief minister Veerappa Moily to suggest ways to implement quota as per provisions in the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Bill, 2006. The Supreme Court cleared the bill April 10, 2008.

Source : IANS