The new reservation policy will also be applied for courses such as veterinary science, ayurveda, homeopathy, agriculture and allied sciences, architecture, planning, cinematic art and technology and similar courses, said the chief minister.The number of seats reserved for scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) students in medical, engineering, higher and technical education courses has almost been doubled in Odisha, with the state government making major changes in the reservation policy.In a late-night cabinet decision Saturday, the BJP government in Odisha increased reservation of seats in medical, engineering, and other higher/technical education courses in Odisha. It also approved reservation of seats in these courses for students belonging to backward classes.According to officials, seats reserved for ST students will increase from 12 percent to 22.50 percent, and for SC students from 8 percent to 16.25 percent. The reservation has been allowed in accordance with their population size in the state, said an official.Similarly, 11.25 percent seats will now be reserved for students from the socially and educationally backward classes, who were not getting any reservation earlier.By giving 11.25 percent reservation to the SCBC students, the total number of reserved seats has been kept within 50 per cent.“The reservation policy will be implemented in all the state universities, their affiliated colleges and educational institutions (ITIs) and polytechnics in the fields of engineering, technology, management, computer applications, medicine surgery, dental, nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences,” said chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi after the cabinet decision.The new reservation policy will also be applied for courses such as veterinary science, ayurveda, homeopathy, agriculture and allied sciences, architecture, planning, cinematic art and technology and similar courses, said the chief minister.Story continues below this adConsequently, out of the total 2,421 medical seats in under graduate (UG) and post graduate (PG) level in the state, 545 seats will be reserved for ST students, which was earlier 290 at 12 per cent reservation. While 193 UG and PG seats were earmarked for the SC students at 8% reservation, it has now been increased to 393. For the SCBC students, 272 seats in medical courses will be reserved.Similarly, out of the total 44,579 engineering seats, 10,030 seats will be reserved for ST, 7,244 for SC, and 5,015 for SEBC students. As per current reservation policy, the number was 5,349 for ST and 3,566 for SC students.“As the number of seats reserved for ST, SC students were far below their population size and there was no reservation for SCBC students, it caused hindrances in ensuring social justice and empowerment of these communities. No previous governments had taken any steps in this regard. I am extremely happy that we have taken the steps to ensure educational rights to the SC, ST and backward classes,” Majhi said.BJP sources said the decision will have far-reaching impact, not just to ensure social justice but also to help the BJP politically to strengthen its position in the state.Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd