Shimla,June 16 :Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister has requested the Centre Government to restore the 50 per cent quota for the students of Himachal Pradesh in NITs out side the State based on the merit of students of the State only. In a letter written to Dr Man Mohan Singh, Prime Minister, Prof. Dhumal said that this would have an adverse effect on the career of the students of Himachal Pradesh.
Prof Dhumal said that the students of the State till last year were being admitted to the NIT Hamirpur as well as other NITs in the country based on the merit of the students of the State. He said that as per the decision of the Government of India, admission of the students of the State to the other NITs would be stopped from this year and now the students would only be admitted in case they secure very high rank in all India merit list. He said that this decision would have serious impact on the career of the Students of the State seeking admission in Engineering courses in National Institutes of Technology.
Prof. Dhumal urged the Prime Minister to reconsider the decision in this regard keeping in view the difficult topography and geographical conditions of the State. He said that this constrain provides the students of the State limited opportunity of coaching and related facilities. He said that the students from the State have to pursue their studies in a difficult environment.
The Chief Minister said that all these impediments limit the opportunities before the students of the State to compete with the students of other States on equal footings. He said that the new system would deprive a large number of students of the State to secure admission in the NITs of the country.
Prof Dhumal has also made similar request to Sh Arjun Singh, Union Human Resource Development Minister not to modify the admission procedure for the students of Himachal Pradesh.