Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) "Academic Session" means the period in a calendar year, or a part thereof, during which an Educational Institution is open for teaching or instruction in any branch of study or faculty; (b) "Admission Test" means the examination conducted by or on behalf of the State Government or an Educational Institution for determining the eligibility of students for admission to Educational Institutions, and includes the Pre-Medical Test (PMT), the Pre-Engineering Test (PET), the Pre-Agriculture Test (PAT) or any other test, by whatever name it may be called; (c) "Annual Permitted Strength" means the number of seats in a course or programme for teaching or instruction in each branch of study or faculty authorized by an appropriate authority for admission of eligible students to an Educational Institution; (d) "Appropriate Authority" means the University Grants Commission, the Bar Council of India, the Medical Council of India, the All India Council for Technical Education, the Nursing Council of India, the Dental Council of India, Central Council of Indian Medicine or any other authority or body established by any Act for the time being in force, for the determination, coordination or maintenance of standards of higher education in any Educational Institution. (e) "Cut-off Date(s)" means the date(s) of admission to a course or programme of teaching or instruction in a branch of study or faculty in an academic session, as may be declared by the State Government or the Educational Institution, as the case may be, for the purposes of the filling up vacant seats under clause (a), (b) and (c) of Section 3; (f) "Educational Institution" means,- (i) A university established or incorporated by or under an Act of the Legislature of the State of Chhattisgarh; (ii) An institution, other than a minority educational institution referred to in clause (1) of Article 30 of the Constitution, maintained by or receiving aid from the State Government, whether directly or indirectly, and affiliated to a university referred to in clause (i); (iii) An educational institution established by the State Government under the Chhattisgarh Societies Registration Adhiniyam, 1973 (No. 44 of 1973); (g) "Eligible Students" means those students who are eligible to be admitted to a course or programme of teaching or instruction in a branch of study or faculty, and possessing such qualifications as may be prescribed by the appropriate authority or the University or the State Government, as the case may be, or declared to be eligible; where so required, by the University or body authorized by the State Government for conducting the admission test, in respect of the admission to such course or programme of teaching or instruction in the branch of study or faculty; (h) "Faculty" means the faculty of an Educational Institution; (i) "Other Backward Classes" means the class or classes of citizens, not belonging to the creamy layer of society, who are socially and educationally backward and are so determined from time to time by the State Government; (j) "Scheduled Castes" means the Scheduled Castes as notified in relation to the State of Chhattisgarh under Article 341 of the Constitution; (k) "Scheduled Tribes" means the Scheduled Tribes as notified in relation to the State of Chhattisgarh under Article 342 of the Constitution; (l) "Teaching or Instruction in any Branch of Study" means teaching or instruction in a branch of study leading to the award of diploma or degree at the bachelor (under-graduate), masters (post-graduate) and doctoral levels.