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Polity & Governance
Mahesh

12/08/22 06:05 AM IST

State-level OBC groups must be included in central list

In News 
Currently, for each state, there are two OBC lists — from the state and the Centre. So, a caste may be included in the OBC list of a state and enjoy the reservation benefits in state government jobs and educational institutions but not with respect to central government jobs or educational institutions.

Constitutional Provisions 
  • In Ram Singh and Ors vs Union of India Case (2015), the Central government argued that the inclusion of classes or groups in state OBC lists is a strong and compelling reason for the inclusion of such classes in the central lists. The Supreme Court judgment validated this argument.
  • Articles 15(4) and 16(4) make special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes of citizens (SEBCs, popularly known as OBCs), the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
  • First Backward Classes Commission (1955) recommended the inclusion of 2,399 castes as OBCs. But, the then central government did not implement it.
  • Second Backward Classes Commission (Mandal Commission, 1980), the central government implemented it much later.
  • The central government introduced a reservation of 27% for OBCs in government jobs, in 1990. The constitutional validity of the reservation was upheld in the Indira Sawhney case. Pursuant to judgment, the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993was enacted.
Need for Sub-categorization 
  • The Justice Rohini Commission was constituted to ensure equitable distribution of reservation benefits among the OBC castes through sub-categorization. It has recently been given the 10th extension in five years.
  • It arises from the perception that a few dominant castes among the OBCs have cornered a disproportionate amount of the benefits from the reservation, thus leading to injustice.
Source- Indian Express 

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