Rajasthan Assembly passes bill raising OBC quota to 26 percent

The Rajasthan Assembly on Thursday passed a bill which increases reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the state from 21 per cent to 26 per cent. The community includes Gujjars and four other castes.

The reservation in Rajasthan now stands at 54 per cent defying the set ceiling of 50 per cent by the Supreme Court.

Presenting the Bill, Arun Chaturvedi, minister in-charge, told the House the new legislation would provide for the reservation of seats in educational institutions in the state and of appointments and posts in services for the category.

Five communities Banjara, Gadiya Lohar, Gurjar, Raika, and Gadaria and their six sub-castes - have been covered in the 5 per cent category.

In August this year, the state government decided to raise the OBC quota to accommodate the five per cent quota assured to Gujjars, Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Raika and Gadaria. The decision was taken following a meeting of the representatives of the Gujjar community with a cabinet sub-committee.

The government had assured the Gujjars that the OBC quota will be split after increasing it to 26% to grant them 5% reservation and that a bill in this regard would be introduced in the assembly in a special session.

However, the move will once again led to total reservation in the state, which presently stands at 49%, to cross the 50% legal ceiling and reach 54%. The state government had previously failed to provide the Gujjars and other four communities the 5% SBC reservation because of the legal ceiling.

OneIndia News