The deprivation of basic rights and equal opportunities of different communities due to their social status, economic and educational backwardness has been identified as one of the major hindrances to our national growth.
The makers of modern India have identified social realities of our sociopolitical structures and ensured equal opportunity for all its citizens through constitutional governance and made provision of State interventions in the form of reservation as affirmative action to create scope for all by their participation to contribute towards nation building.
Affirmative actions have also been accepted as a process to counter the hegemony and dominance of the majority and protect the excluded for larger inclusiveness by minimising disparity and inequality in national socio-economic and political sphere as well as in democratic governance.
The Article 46 of directive principles of State policy (DPSP) an specially Article 340 of the Constitution say about the role of State and appointment of a commission to investigate the condition of socially and educationally backward classes and make recommendations to improve their condition.
The constitutional mandate came into force by a Presidential order in 1953 and the commission under the chairmanship of Kaka Karleker submitted its report in 1955.
The commission identified 2,399 backward castes/communities out of which 837 are classified as most backward. Way forward the Centre asked the States to prepare their own list in 1961 but the Government of Odisha finally made a list in 1994 on the basis of report by Justice NC Das Commission after the Supreme Court judgment in reference to Mandal Commission recommendation while the southern States like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have made a good beginning on the matter of development of backward classes much before. These States have provision of reservation for backward classes even before independence and Tamil Nadu has 69 per cent of reservation with protection in the ninth schedule. Historically the backward classes of Odisha who constitute a vast majority of the State population are being neglected for a long time.
There has been no State initiative for backward classes where as a number of States have taken exemplary efforts for the participation and development of backward classes.
The Government of Odisha enacted Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes Act 1993 to help the Government in preparing the list of backward classes in the State from time to time with a ten years review for the purposes of making provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favors of the backward classes, which in the opinion of the Government, are not adequately represented in the services and any local or other authority within the territory of Odisha or under the control of the Government of Odisha.
This is in spirit of the Articles 16 which says equal opportunity in matter of public employment and 16(4) which says about the State initiative to ensure employment for SEBC. In addition to employment the Article 15(4) says about reservation of seats on the basis on caste and communities.
Based on the criteria of socially, educationally and economic backwardness the Government of Odisha notified 209 castes/communities along with their synonym in different notifications as SEBC. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment notified 194 castes/communities along with their synonym on the basis of recommendation of the National Commission for Backward Classes as Other Backward Classes in Odisha.
The backward classes lag behind in every aspect of social development in comparison to few forward communities of the State. A vast majority of them are backward in education and possession of economical asset less. Many are share croppers, small and marginal farmers and artisans, cattle rearers, barbers, small traders and mostly inhabitants of rural villages. It has been increasingly difficult for these poor families to provide education to their children. The privatisation processes has posed a challenge before the economically poor communities including backward class to pursue education in the absence of State protection.
Backward caste youth along with others in rural villages are migrating outside the State in search of employment. The traditional caste structures have identified them in the lowest ladder of Verna system as the service provider.
The rigid socio-religious orders have historically restricted their entry to power structure and own productive resources for a dignified life. It has been evident that backward classes have very marginal presence in governance, executive judiciary, media and political party’s decision making process. Many studies and reports have established this fact. The backward class movements in the State have been demanding for a fair representation of their community in proportion to their percentage in every sphere of socio-economic and political life.
The Odisha Reservation of Posts and Services (for socially and educationally backward classes) Act 2008 has provision of 27 per cent reservation with upper age relaxation in appointment of candidates of backward classes, but this has not been implemented due to judicial restrictions of limiting reservation to fifty per cent. Not only reservation in job and educational institutions, there are a number of centrally sponsored schemes and programmes which have not been effectively implemented in the State.
The Backward Class Welfare Division under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has made institutional arrangements such as National Commission for Backward Classes set up in 1993 under the National Commission for Backward Classes Act,1993 and National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation(NBCFDC) in 1992 to facilitate the economic development of the backward classes by providing loan with nominal interest along with programmes like development of skill, agriculture, small business, artisanal work, technical and professional trade, transport and service sector. It has made provisions of schemes for women and self help groups and micro credit programmes.
There are specialised training programmes for youth skill development through technical institutions but the Odisha Government lags behind in tapping such opportunities in spite of its huge migration and unemployment problems. The Odisha backward classes finance development cooperative corporation ltd is the State channeling agency but consistently the agency has very poor performances where as the States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have made exemplary work.
It is also being observed that the involvement of civil society organisations in OBC development is very insignificant in comparison to other States in Odisha. The Ministry grant list for 2013-2014 shows good involvement of NGOs in Gujarat and Maharashtra with very marginal presence of Odisha.
The Government of India has been sponsoring Post-matric scholarship, Pre-matric scholarship, and construction of hostels for OBC students for promotion of education among OBC. There are Central Government schemes of national fellowship to pursue higher study, MPhil and PhD and also national oversea scholarship for OBC but sadly, there is lack of awareness about all such schemes.
It is good that the State Government ensured backward class participation in local self governance by enacting law of reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions. It has paved the way of involvement of the communities along with women in governance and development work of the State but such initiative should be extended to the other areas such as job, education and development work by enactment of laws and provisions with financial allocation for building an inclusive development of Odisha.
Odisha should send its officials and peoples representatives of backward classes as exposure to southern States and based on their learning it must have a road map with institutional arrangement and financial allocation for the development along with change in policy and laws in support of backward classes.
(The writer is a rights activist who can be reached at ojaabbsr@gmail.com)