New Delhi, Jul 3 (IANS): Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Union government to extend reservation for OBC candidates in the all-India quota for medical and dental seats to state/UT medical institutions.

Sonia Gandhi said in the letter that reservation for OBC candidates under the all-India quota is restricted to the Central institutions only.

"As per the data compiled by the All India Federation of Other Backward Classes, since 2017, OBC candidates lost over 11,000 seats in all-India quota due to non-implementation of OBC reservations in state/UT medical education institutions," she wrote in the letter.

The interim Congress President drew the Prime Minister's attention in the matter of denial of reservation to OBC candidates under the all-India quota being filled through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in state/UT medical education institutions.

She said that the 93rd Constitutional Amendment envisages special provisions for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward class or for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in admission to educational institutions, including private institutions, whether aided or unaided by the state, other than the minority educational institutions.

But denial of reservations to OBCs in state medical institutions under the all-India quota, being administered by the Government of India, violates the very objective of the 93rd Constitutional Amendment and is a barrier to access to medical education for the deserving OBC candidates.

Under the all-India quota, 15 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 10 per cent seats are reserved for SC, ST and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates, respectively, in both Central and state/UT medical education institutions.