The 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Class students will be effective from 2019 as the process for the 2018 examination has already commenced, the minister said.
The reservation for OBC students will be in addition to already existing 15 per cent quota for scheduled caste students, 7.5 per cent for students from Scheduled Tribes and four per cent for physically challenged students.
"Approved reservation for #OBC students in #NTSE National Talent Search Examination Stage-II conducted by @NCERT," Javadekar said in a tweet.
Class 11 and 12 students get Rs 1,250 per month under the scholarship, while undergraduate and postgraduate students get Rs 2,000. For PhD students, the amount is decided according to UGC norms, he added.
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The stage-1 of the examination is conducted by state governments, while the stage-II is conducted the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to identify and nurture talented students.
Sources said the state governments may also be asked to provide reservation to the OBC category. Some states are already providing the OBC reservation.
Following it, an NCERT committee had favoured quota for OBC students to be implemented as per central government norms, they added.
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