Centre approves 10% reservation in government jobs, education for economically-backward upper castes

The Centre approved 10 percent reservation in government jobs and education for economically backward upper castes on Monday, which is speculated to be a major strategic move by the NDA government ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The quota will apply to people whose annual salary is less than Rs 8 lakh. [caption id=“attachment_5304331” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] India Today reported that the government will move a Constitution amendment bill on Tuesday in Parliament, and that Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution will be considered for amendment. The two amendments will provide the basis of reservation of 10 percent to the “economically weaker sections among the upper castes” or those who fall under the general category. Other criteria for eligibility, according to the report, also include ownership of less than five hectares of agricultural land and houses smaller than 1,000 square feet. The Narendra Modi-led government is open to the idea of extending the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament by two days to move the amendments, CNN-News18 reported. The report also said that the proposal for the reservation was approved in a Cabinet meeting at 1 pm on Monday. Almost none of the attendees knew the agenda for the meeting. However, the move is likely to hit a roadblock because of the Supreme Court ruling which put a cap on the percentage of reservation and said that quotas cannot exceed 50 percent. The demand for reservation based on economic criteria and not only based on caste has been a long-standing demand. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had also supported the demand. Reportedly, Dalit leader Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd said that he had “no problem” with the “pro-poor decision” taken by the Modi government. A report by News18 said, “The move is likely to evoke strong reactions from Dalit intellectuals and Opposition parties such as the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party and the Left parties.” Battle for reservation The BJP has been grappling with demands for reservations from several caste groups traditionally considered dominant ones — including Marathas in Maharashtra and Patels in Gujarat. On 26 September, the  Supreme Court paved the way to grant quota  for promotions in government jobs to the SC/ST communities, holding that the states were not required to “collect quantifiable data” reflecting the backwardness among these communities. The unanimous judgment was pronounced by a five-judge Constitution bench headed by former CJI Dipak Misra. However, the apex court did not comment on two other conditions given in a 2006 verdict which dealt with the adequacy of representation of SC/STs in promotions. The verdict cleared a major hurdle that was cited by the central government in granting reservation in promotion to its employees belonging to the communities. BJP lawmaker  Udit Raj had welcomed the Supreme Court decision and said the communities were under-represented in various categories of the central government. In June 2018, BJP president Amit Shah had said that the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and the reservation system in jobs will remain in force till the party-led government is in power. An NDTV report said, “A large section of upper caste and middle-class voters were seen to be upset with the ruling BJP over quotas only for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (SC/STs and OBCs).” Monday’s move of granting reservation to the economically backward upper castes is seen as a bid to placate the community ahead of the 2019 general elections. The Maharashtra Assembly on 29 November accepted a decades-long demand for a Maratha quota in the state and unanimously passed a bill granting the community 16 percent reservation in government jobs and educational institutes. The state government had  received the State Backward Class Commission (SBCC) report on 15 November , which has suggested 16 percent reservation for the socially and economically backward (SEBC) community. Marathas have inadequate representation in services under the state, the panel report said. They are entitled to reservation benefits and advantages enshrined in the Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution, it said. With inputs from agencies