Maharashtra approves 16% Maratha quota in jobs and education

Mumbai, Nov 29: The Maharashtra assembly has unanimously passed bill giving 16 per cent reservation for Maratha community in jobs and education. This will be separate reservation from existing OBC and SC ST reservations already in place. The bill has now gone to the Upper House.

"We've completed a due procedure for Maratha reservation report and we're bringing a bill today. But for Dhangar reservation, we've not completed the report, a sub committee is appointed and soon a report and ATR will be tabled in this house," said Maharashtra CM Fadnavis in state assembly.

A two-page action taken report (ATR) on the State Backward Class Commission's (SBCC) recommendations on Maratha quota will also be tabled along with the Bill, a government source said.

The meeting of the state Cabinet sub-committee, headed by Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, over the issue was held late Wednesday evening after being postponed twice in the day.

The previous Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coalition government had granted 16 per cent reservation to Marathas in jobs and education, but it was stayed by the Bombay High Court.

The Opposition Congress and the NCP have been demanding tabling of reports of the SBCC recommending quota for Marathas and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' report on reservation to the Dhangar (shepherd) community.

The Dhangar community has been pressing for reservation under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

The Cabinet sub-committee was formed last week to study the SBCC's report on reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education and take a decision on it.

The government had received the report on November 15 and it was placed before the Cabinet on November 18 for approval.

The Maratha community, which constitutes over 30 per cent of the state's population, has been demanding quota for a long time and its agitation for the same in July and August this year. Various organisations had held massive 'silent marches' across the state last year for various demands, including reservation.