Inequality In Reservation: Less Than 25 Per Cent OBC Castes Hold 97 Per Cent Of Reserved Central Jobs, College Seats

Only about 25 per cent of the OBC (Other Backward Classes) castes account for almost 97 per cent of the total central government jobs, admission to education institutions reserved under the OBC quota, as reported by Indian Express.

It should be noted that 27 per cent of all the seats in higher education institutes and central government jobs are reserved for those belonging to the OBC category. This separate quota was adopted on the recommendations of the Mandal Commission by the then Janata Dal Prime Minister, VP Singh in 1990.

Also, 983 OBC communities, totalling 37 per cent, have not been represented in the central government in the last three decades. Reiterating the highly unequal distribution of quota benefits among the OBC population, the news story found that only 10 per cent of the communities were responsible for nearly 25 per cent of all the jobs and admissions.

The biggest beneficiary OBC castes are the Yadav, Kurmi, Jat (in some places), Saini, Thevar, Ezhava and Vokkaliga.

Realising this discrepancy, President Kovind, under the recommendation of the current NDA government appointed a commission to examine the sub-categorisation of OBCs in October 2017.

“Subcategorization of the OBCs will ensure that the more backward among the OBC communities can also access the benefits of reservation for educational institutions and government jobs,” the press released noted.

Also Read: Why Sub-Categorisation Of OBCs Is Important