Chennai,  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday directed officials to engage senior lawyers to argue the state's case on its 69 per cent reservation quota in Supreme Court.

Gayatri C.V., a student, had through her father, S.Vaitheeswaran, filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the Tamil Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act of 1993. Section 4 of the Act provides 30 per cent reservation to the Backward Classes, 20 per cent for Most Backward Classes and denotified communities, 18 per cent for Scheduled Castes and 1 per cent for Scheduled Tribes leading to 69 per cent reservation.

A statement from the Chief Minister's office said that Stalin gave the direction while addressing officials during a review meeting of backward classes and minorities welfare at the Secretariat.

He also called upon officials to implement Sachar Committee recommendations including educational scholarships to all minorities, skill development training to minority youth, and special training to entrepreneurs and loan assistance.

He also called upon the officials to ensure that the Wakf boards were registered, properties reclaimed, information of Wakf properties computerised and services of the Wakf board made online.

The Chief Minister called upon the Tamil Nadu Minorities Economic Development Corporation and the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes Economic Development Corporation to sanction loans to more people. He said that these agencies should offer loans to pursue education also, as per the release.

He also called upon the officials to provide adequate basic facilities and quality food to the students staying in hostels run by the Backward Classes and Minority Department.

The Chief Minister also called upon the officials to engage more students in schools and for high enrolment. He also said that cash incentives provided by the government must reach the students in due course of time and that free bicycles be distributed to the students at the start of the academic year.

Stalin also called directed the officials to implement schemes through the welfare boards of denotified communities including narikuravars (nomads), ulemas, and employees should reach the beneficiaries on time.

He also asked the officials to provide separate habitations with basic facilities to uplift the narikuravars and the free house patta schemes for the backward and most backward communities should be expanded with provision of basic facilities.