40% of UG seats for SC/STs remain vacant in MGU
The Hindu
Colleges directed to facilitate hassle-free admission for aspirants from reserved categories
Around 40% of seats earmarked for students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are remaining vacant after the first special allotment for undergraduate (UG) programmes in affiliated government and aided colleges under Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU).
Special allotments are made after the scheduled regular allotments under the varsity’s centralised admission procedure (CAP). Of the 3,242 seats for students of the SC category, 2,296 have been filled. Of the 1,066 seats for ST students, 306 have been filled after the first special allotment, according to official figures. The total allotment of seats under the SC category is 4,974, while the corresponding figure in the ST category is 626.
A preliminary assessment shows that there is little demand among aspirants for UG programmes in subjects like Mathematics and certain integrated programmes in multidisciplinary areas. The special allotments have been made to ensure that maximum number of SC/ST students obtain admission for the courses of their choice.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.