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“If all men are equal, then all men are of the same essence, and the common essence entitles them of the same fundamental rights and equal liberty.”
- B R Ambedkar
A society can truly achieve social justice when it achieves liberty, equality, and fraternity. This is mentioned in the preamble of our Indian constitution as well. People can be born in different castes but to achieve distributive justice, resources need to be fairly distributed amongst all, therefore societies must provide affirmative action.
General category is the term that refers to forward or upper castes. In comparison to other castes in the society, they are well-developed or ahead in education, jobs, and social status. Reserved category is the term used to denote the backward castes that have affirmative actions provided by the government in education and employment. The general category usually includes people belonging to the Brahmin varna whereas reserved categories include the Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra varnas. Although the status of backward castes, i.e. OBC and SC/ST may vary in different states in India, that of upper castes largely remain the same.
The General category includes those individuals who do not belong to reserved categories like Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and Economically Weaker Sections, and are therefore not eligible for reservation. Currently, the quotas across reserved categories are as below:
Although the general category and reserved categories are grouped based on caste, the OBC creamy layer and EWS quota are based on income levels among the claimants. This means the seat matrix for general category candidates and the seat matrix for reserved category candidates differs on caste lines. This affects the All-India Reserved category quota merit list and All-India General category quota merit list prepared by the various government institutions and entities. Since there is a difference in quotas under reservation, there will be significant differences in the fee structure, admission process, eligibility, cut-offs, requirements, scholarships, hostel fees and seat matrix amongst the different categories. Let's go through some aspects in this blog.
Given below are average fee structures for popular streams in the general category and reserved category seats in Karnataka.
Average General Category Government Seat Fee in Karnataka for MBBS and BE 2024-25:
Category-wise Average Semester Fee in Government Colleges for Professional Courses 2023-24 in Karnataka:
One can find a huge concession of fees for SC/ ST in general category vs reserved categories fee structure as mentioned above.
Usually, the general category students have to secure a 50% aggregate score in the 10+2/ 2nd PUC exam whereas for reserved categories it is around 10% less than that of the general category i.e. 40%. Thus, there is a significant 10% relaxation in general category vs reserved categories cut-off marks. In the Karnataka Common Entrance Exam (KCET) exam and counselling, reservation is provided based on a few parameters other than just caste. For example, NCC, CAPF, Ex-army men, etc. Different forms need to be submitted for the general category vs reserved categories admission process in Karnataka.
The regional universities and educational institutions in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region should reserve 70% of seats in every course for students from the region. Additionally, there is 8% reservation for students from this region in state-affiliated universities and colleges across Karnataka. Hence, we can say that there is significant difference in general category vs reserved categories eligibility, and subsequently differences in general category vs reserved categories requirements.
There are different scholarships awarded for both general category and reserved category students. Let’s check out some of them here.
Scholarships for General Category Students in Higher Education:
PM Narendra Modi Scholarship
Central Sector Scholarship
Sitaram Jindal Foundation Scholarship
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) Scholarship
Pragati Scholarship
Swami Dayanand Education Foundation’s Merit-cum-Means Scholarship
Scholarships for Reserved Category Students in Higher Education:
PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India (PM –YASASVI)
Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scholarship
Post-Matric Scholarship for SC Students
National Overseas Scholarship for SC Students
Sakshat Scholarship
The required documents for general category and required documents for reserved category to avail these scholarships need to be furnished on time. There is a general category vs reserved categories requirements difference based on caste and income in these scholarships.
As we saw, there is concession in fees for government seats across all colleges and differences in general category vs reserved categories eligibility. On the same lines, the general category vs reserved categories hostel fees are also different. Some colleges exempt hostel fees for the latter.
Average Hostel Fees for Government Seats in Karnataka 2023-24:
The seats are distributed after the All-India reserved category quota seats in Karnataka and All-India general category quota seats in Karnataka are applied as per the state’s policies. This makes colleges cede a few seats, making way for the different All-India reserved category quota seats in Karnataka and All-India general category quota seats in Karnataka. Seat matrix for general category candidates in Karnataka and reserved categories candidates in Karnataka is yet to be released for the year 2024 by Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA).
For professional courses in India, All-India reserved category quota merit lists and All-India general category quota merit lists are released by various bodies for the purpose of conducting counsellings and admission. Some bodies that release such lists include:
National Testing Agency (NTA) for undergraduate Medical and Dental
Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) for postgraduate Medical and Dental
National Testing Agency (NTA) for Engineering - JEE Main
Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) for college admissions in Karnataka
Once the seat matrix and merit lists are declared, the general category vs reserved categories cut-offs are calculated and notified. However, each college or university releases its own merit list for the programmes it offers.
In India, the complex structure of caste-based, income-based and other types of reservations are in place so that the society as a whole progresses on egalitarian lines. This is done in order to provide some benefits to students from disadvantaged communities to facilitate the progress and representation of that community in various spheres. As we saw, there is variation in the eligibility criteria, fees, admission processes, seat matrix, cut-off, etc. for students belonging to different categories. Hence, it is important for students to know about such differences in order to make the right choice with respect to their higher education.
