http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Banning-OBC-dereservation-next-on-agenda--Paswan/371796
Banning OBC dereservation next on agenda: Paswan J P Yadav Posted: Oct 11, 2008 at 2338 hrs IST NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 10 After approving the enactment of a law to end "de-reservation" of SC/ST quota, the UPA Government is now gearing up to bring a similar Bill to protect 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Central Government jobs and educational institutions. Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan, who played a pivotal role in pushing the provision with regard to the SC/ST quota, told The Indian Express on Friday that the Government would now bring a similar Bill to ensure that the OBC quota was not de-reserved. He hinted that the Government wanted to bring it during the forthcoming session of Parliament. "Our Government is committed to uplifting the deprived sections of society. After SC/STs, we are committed to bringing a similar enactment to ban de-reservation of seats reserved for OBCs in services and educational institutions," he said. Paswan said earlier reservation quotas for SC/STs used to be implemented through a Government Order (GO), leaving scope for de-reservation of vacant seats after some time. "But now a law will be in force to check de-reservation," he added. Already, the UPA Government has tried to woo the OBCs with the Cabinet recently raising the annual income ceiling for "creamy layer" among OBCs from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh. The proposed ban is sure to invite fresh controversy as the SC had recently said that seats remaining vacant after implementing the 27% OBC quota in Central educational institutions should go to general- category students. Earlier, the SC/ST/OBCs were clubbed together in the Bill. However, after intense lobbying from Dalit groups that SC/STs were different from OBCs in quotas, the Government in June this year seperated the two. Last Wednesday, the Union Cabinet had approved enactment of a law to end dereservation of quotas meant for SC/STs with a penal provision for action against offices not implementing the quota. "Posts reserved for SCs and STs will not be de-reserved, and they (vacancies) will be carried over," Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said after a Cabinet meeting.
