Two more OBCs in Gujarat added to central list despite Patel violence
26 Aug 2015
Amidst violent protests and clashes in various parts of Gujarat demanding extension of caste-based reservation to Gujarat's wealthy Patel community, the central government today approved amendments to the central list of other backward classes (OBCs) in respect of Gujarat and Uttarakhand.
The union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi today gave its approval for the amendments in the central list of other backward classes in respect of Gujarat and Uttarakhand for making suitable amendments by way inclusion/correction of castes / communities as per the advices received from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
The amendments will enable the persons belonging to these castes/ communities to avail the benefits of reservation in government services and posts as well as in central educational institutions as per the existing policy.
They will also become eligible for benefit under various welfare schemes, scholarships etc being administered by the central government, which are at present available to persons belonging to OBCs.
As per the amendments, the Sipai and Patni Jamat or Turk Jamat (all Muslims) communities of Gujarat and the Kahar and Tanwar Singhariya communities of Uttarkhand will be included in the central list of OBCs in the two states.
The NCBC was set up in pursuance to the Supreme Court judgement in the Indra Sawhney case as per the NCBC Act 1993.
The commission has been set up to examine requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class in the lists and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in such lists and tender such advice to the central government as it deems appropriate.
The advice of the commission is binding on the central government.
Since the setting up of the NCBC, a total of 35 notifications have been issued so far and till date and a total of 2404 "entries", which include castes and their synonyms, sub-castes etc, have been notified in the central list of OBCs for 24 states and six union territories.
It is now proposed to notify the two changes recommended by NCBC in respect of the two states.
The last such notification was issued on 14 July 2015.
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