New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Central government-aided medical colleges will set aside 18 percent of total seats for the other backward classes (OBC) candidates from the next academic session, it was announced here Thursday. The complete implementation of 27 percent quota for OBC candidates will be completed in two years’ time.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, top officials of the health ministry and officials of leading medical institutes discussed the issue Thursday and decided on a two-year time frame to complete the process.

The institutes, which will implement the quota, include the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College (all in New Delhi), the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry.

Authorities said the reservation would be applicable for both post-graduate and under-graduate courses across the top medical institutions.

“All of us discussed several issues regarding implementation of the OBC quota from the coming academic year. It was decided to implement the quota by 18 percent of the total 27 percent prescribed in the reservation law,” N.K. Chaturvedi, the medical superintendent of RML, told IANS.

“There is no infrastructure problem on our part. The minister is happy and we will go head with quota in a phased manner,” he said.

Authorities said Ramadoss has directed all concerned institutes to underline their requirements and submit a report regarding infrastructure development to the expenditure finance committee by April 25.

All Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have decided to implement 27 percent reservation in three years time.

In 2006, parliament passed a bill providing for 27 percent reservation for the OBC candidates in government-aided institutes of higher learning. The act was challenged in the Supreme Court, which last week gave its approval to go ahead with the scheme but excluded the ‘creamy layer’ from its ambit.