On the last day of its Monsoon Session, the State Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution to ask the State Commission for Backward Classes to urge the Centre to conduct a caste-based census and increase the reservation ceiling cap to above 50per cent. SC & ST Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Minister Jagannath Saraka moved the resolution, which was passed without participation of the opposition BJP and Congress members.
Saraka said the SCs and STs comprise 22.5per cent and 16.25per cent, respectively, of the State’s population while the OBC/SEBC population share is also a major one.
As per the existing reservation policy of the State Government, he said, 22.5per cent reservation is provided to SCs, 16.25per cent to STs and 11.25per cent to SEBCs to keep the ceiling within 50per cent in accordance with the Supreme Court direction. The reservation for SEBCs is not in proportion to their population.
As a result, they are deprived of getting suitable reservation in Government jobs and other facilities, he said.
The Odisha Administrative Tribunal, the Orissa High Court and the Supreme Court had quashed the State reservation policy due to lack of a detailed scientific database, Saraka pointed out.
Based on a resolution of the State Cabinet, the Chief Secretary, in January 2020, had intimated the Union Cabinet Secretary for considering the proposal for conducting a census for SEBCs and OBCs in General Census 2021. However, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner India has rejected it on the ground that the collection of data of OBC/SEBC/other castes would adversely affect the integrity of census exercise, he informed.
He urged the MLAs to unanimously resolve to ask the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes to urge on Government of India to increase the reservation ceiling cap to above 50per cent in order to accommodate the OBC quota and conduct an OBC caste-based census.