Centre to introduce fresh bill on SC, ST reservation

New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) Aimed at creating an unambiguous, coherent and authentic framework for implementing reservation for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the Central Government services, the Centre tonight decided to introduce in Parliament a fresh bill seeking to impose penalty on officers who do not implement reservation provisions.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to withdraw the bill which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2004 in the light of the recommendation to this effect by the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee and the Group of Ministers.

The proposed Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008, also seeks to impose penalty on officers who do not impart training to SCs and STs so as to enable them to compete for jobs, in addition to other existing provisions in the legislation.

''The proposed bill will bring in interpretative clarity about various facets of the policy on reservation in the Central government jobs and infuse greater confidence in the minds of the SCs and STs,'' Finance Minister P Chidambaram told mediapersons after the meeting.

UNI SH Mir BD1933