Bhubaneswar, April 5 -- The Odisha Cabinet late on Saturday night approved an 11.25% reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) students in medical and technical courses, while also enhancing quotas for Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) students.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and will apply across state universities and their affiliated institutions offering professional courses.

Under the new policy, ST reservation will be increased to 22.50% from 12%, while SC reservation will rise to 16.25% from 8% in medical, engineering, and other technical education streams. The government said the newly introduced 11.25% quota for SEBC students will be ...