Odisha hikes quotas for STs, SCs; introduces reservation for OBCs in medical, technical education

Odisha has significantly boosted reservation quotas for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in medical and technical education, raising ST to 22.5% and SC to 16.25%. A new 11.25% reservation for Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) has also been introduced across various educational institutions. Additionally, a scheme will provide beneficiaries an extra 5 kg of rice monthly from 2026-27.