History of OBC Reservation

Under Article 340 of the Indian constitution it is obligatory for the government to promote the welfare of the Other Backward Classes.

The first Backward Classes Commission headed by Shri kaka kalelkar in 1953, and Mandal Commission headed by Shri B.P.Mandal in 1980 has given many useful recommendations for the welfare of Other Backward Classes. The population of OBC’s which includes Hindus and Non-Hindus was around 52% of the total population according to the commission.

27% of reservation was recommended owing to legal constraints that the total quantum of reservation should not exceed 50%.

One of the most important recommendations is that all private sector undertakings which have received financial assistance from the government in one form or another should be obliged to recruit personnel on the reservation basis. But, even after 2 decades we are unable to get it inspite of our continuous efforts.

On August 7 1990, the then Prime Minister Shri. V P Singh announced that his National Front Government was going to implement Mandal Commission recommendations in Education and jobs, inspite of strong agitations from Forward Communities. In fact, Shri V P Singh lost his power due to his mandalisation policy. The federation remembers him on this special day for his service rendered to this community.

One needs to understand the psychology of opposition of reservation to OBC’s.

When the jobs are nowhere and everything is gone private, then why are the upper castes angry with the reservation for Backward Communities?

The fact is that seats for dalits were rarely fulfilled and we have seen huge backlog. There has been no protest. It was easier to curtail the protest of the dalits because of their numbers and social background.

Now the reservation for backward communities being a reality, the powerful backward communities will hit and break the bone of upper castes. That is the fear of this community. They know that there are enough students from these communities who will join great institutes of technology and management.

The Supreme Court of India on April 10 2008 upheld the government’s move for initiating 27% OBC quotas in Govt. funded Institutions. But it is necessary for the Govt. at this juncture to exclude the creamy layer policy from the reservation quota.

To be strong in the present scenario, it is more important to show our strength and unity of OBC’s. AIOBC association work towards social justice. AIOBC is giving hand and helping us in this regard.

The issue of under-representation of the socio-economically deprived, discriminated backward caste and classes in the spheres of education, employment, administration and commerce is burning at this stage. I appeal all the member associations to work hard towards the success of the reservation policies.

Let us truly reform our society and work for a truly democratic India, where every community participates in power and every person gets their reservation in respective areas in proportion to their shares in population.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Central May Relax Definition Of OBC Creamy Layer




New Delhi, Nov 13: The Centre is considering a proposal to drastically relax the definition of "creamy layer" for the OBC quota to enable those with an annual income of Rs 12 lakh in metros to qualify for quota benefits, reports Times of India. This will shoot up the number number of backward caste members eligible for reservation benefits.

The eligibility level is proposed to be raised to Rs 9 lakh in non-metro cities, marking a two-fold hike from the existing ceiling of Rs 4.5 lakh to bar the "creamy" OBCs from availing of reservations in jobs and educational institutions.  

The recommendation of National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) is being processed by the Union social justice ministry, and will be applauded by the dominant OBCs who have long cried hoarse that the current ceiling was unrealistic and was the reason why posts as well as seats remain vacant.  

'Creamy layer' is the salary limit beyond which an individual from backward caste ceases to be eligible for job and education quota. The concept seeks to weed out the affluent backwards to help the needy ones.  

Going by the market scenario, a monthly salary of Rs 1 lakh in a metro would qualify significant professionals and white-collar workers for affirmative action benefits, changing the nature of OBC members who make it to the quota net. Till now, the filter has been so tight that even the moderately well-paid backwards remained excluded.  

While the liberal revision of 'creamy layer' could trigger a controversy, sources said the backward panel, headed by M N Rao, stated that affirmative action revolves around 'social discrimination' and economic advancement alone cannot determine social advancement. Quoting key Supreme Court judgments on 'creamy layer', the NCBC argued that the basis of exclusion can be economic only if the financial advancement is high enough to translate into social progress.  

The easing of income criteria may be contested by general sections, who have ignored the 'discrimination' angle to demand that well-off backwards be kept out.Their arguments have centred around the pique that poor upper castes are not given similar government assistance.  

The sentiment came out clearly during UPA 1's policy for 'OBC quota in central educational institutions' when protesters demanded and ensured introduction of 'creamy layer'.  

Realizing the issue's contentious nature, NCBC has made a strong case for upward revision of income limit. Quoting the share of OBCs in central services, he said the aggregate was only 7% - Group A (5.5%), Group B (3.9%), Group C (8.1%) and Group D (5%).  

The representation of OBCs in central PSUs was 20% in 2008-09. It argued that OBCs were not able to exhaust the 27% of quota because of unrealistic income bar that kept out bulk of aspirants.  

To bolster its argument, NCBC said that as per Union ministry of statistics, the value of Rs 100 in 1993 has dwindled to Rs 29 in 2011, which makes income limits like Rs 4.5 lakh redundant.
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