E-Paper
Now 5% quota for BC (B) in panchayats, municipal bodies in Haryana: Amit Shah
Union home minister Amit Shah said the Haryana government has decided to bring BC (B) under the ambit of reservation in panchayats, municipal corporations and municipalities
Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said on the lines of the central government, the creamy layer limit for backward classes (BCs) in Haryana has been increased from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh annually.
Addressing a gathering at the state-level Backward Class Samman Sammelan in Mahendragarh, Shah said similar to the Centre’s decision, salary and income from agriculture will not be clubbed in this limit, and the decision will benefit lakhs of people.
The Union home minister said in yet another decision, the Haryana government has decided to bring BC (B) under the ambit of reservation in panchayats, municipal corporations and municipalities. These decisions have come into force from Tuesday.
Already, there is a provision of 8% reservation for the BC (A) category in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Now, an additional 5% reservation will be provided for the BC-B category in the PRI and urban local bodies elections.
Shah said reservation for BC (B) will be increased to 5% in both panchayats and municipal bodies without affecting the 8% reservation of BC (A).
It may be recalled that in 2022 Haryana Cabinet approved a draft ordinance to give reservation to a sub-category in the BC in the run-up to the elections of the PRIs. The Cabinet had accepted recommendations of the Haryana Backward Classes Commission (HBCC) for quota to the BC (A) category in the polls.
In August 2023, Haryana also paved the way for providing reservations to BC category-A in municipal corporations, councils and committees after the Cabinet accepted the recommendations of the State Backward Classes Commission in this regard. The commission had recommended the proportion of reservation for BC (A category) in municipal bodies.
The commission found that the BC (A) was not adequately represented in the political setup and required the support of reservation in the election of local bodies for adequate participation in the grassroots democratic setup.
Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and other prominent BJP leaders, including Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh, Krishan Pal Gurjar and Dharmendra Pradhan, and Haryana BJP state president Mohan Lal Badauli, attended the event.
