Bhubaneswar,: Adarsha Vidyalayas currently have a quota for MLAs, allowing them to recommend the admission of two students.
Today, a demand was raised in the State Assembly to abolish this quota. BJD MLA Pratap Keshari Deb stated that MLAs receive numerous applications for recommendations, making it difficult to select only two students. As a result, the remaining 20 applicants feel disappointed. Increasing the MLA quota is not feasible, as a larger quota could compromise the quality of education in these schools. Therefore, the abolition of the quota was proposed.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier removed the MP quota from Kendriya Vidyalayas after taking charge of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. Following this precedent, removing the MLA quota in Adarsha Vidyalayas should not be an issue. Pratap Keshari Deb also requested a ruling from the Speaker on this matter.
Interestingly, none of the ruling party MLAs opposed his proposal, creating an impression that the House was in agreement on the issue. After discussing with the concerned department, the Minister of School and Mass Education was directed by the Speaker to take appropriate action in this regard.