The Union cabinet on Thursday night approved a proposal to amend the Constitution to restore reservation for Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in unaided private professional educational institutions.

The Constitution Amendment Bill 2005 would be introduced in the winter session of Parliament, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told reporters. The amendment will enable the states to make reservation of seats for socially and educationally backward classes or for SCs and STs in educational institutions including the unaided private professional educational bodies, other than minority institutions, and to regulate their admission and fee, he said.

The states can enact their own laws according to their own requirements, Dasmunsi said.

Observing that there was a 'comprehensive consensus and total unity' among political parties on the issue, he said the government expected that the bill will be passed in this session itself.