The Union Cabinet on Monday night cleared a bill to be introduced in the current session of Parliament providing for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward castes in elite central educational institutions including IITs and IIMs from the next academic year.

After a two-hour special meeting of the cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi declined to divulge the details of the measure but it is believed that it provides for reservation of 27 percent of seats in aided central government institutions and central universities 27 percent for backward castes, 15 percent for the scheduled castes and 7.5 percent for the scheduled tribes.

The bill will not apply to three institutions of scientific and technological importance, including one in Chennai, and in institutions where infrastructure like professors and adequate number of seats are not available.

The new proposal for reservation will be implemented in a phased manner in those institutions. The proposal will come into effect from 2007.

The creamy layer concept was dropped in the matter of reservation in jobs for OBCs and the same principle is likely to be followed in the education field too.

Dasmunsi said the bill will be brought by August 25, the last day of the monsoon session.

It is understood that the government has not, for the moment, taken up the proposal for implementing reservation in unaided educational institutions. The proposed reservation in the first phase is also expected to cover central institutions like National Institute of Technologies (earlier known as Regional Engineering Colleges) and central universities.