Maharashtra government proposes 10% quota for Marathas in education and jobs

The law is expected to be on the lines of the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act 2018.

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday gave its approval to the Backward Classes Commission report and the draft bill based on it, paving the way for legislation on reservation for Marathas. The bill proposing a 10 per cent quota for Marathas in education and jobs will be tabled in the state legislature today. This marks the third attempt in a decade by the state to introduce legislation to provide quota benefits for the Maratha community.

Chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission, retired Justice Sunil Shukre, hands over the survey report on the backwardness of the Maratha community to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in Mumbai on Friday. Deputy CM Devendra Fadanvis is also present. (Eknath Shinde-X)

The decision to convene a special session was prompted by the ongoing hunger strike of Maratha quota activist, Manoj Jarange Patil.

The proposal is grounded in the findings of the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes (MSCBC), which highlighted that the Maratha population in Maharashtra stands at 28 per cent.

According to the report, the Maratha community faces "exceptional and extraordinary conditions" of backwardness, warranting reservation beyond the 50 per cent cap mandated for quotas.

Citing the example of Tamil Nadu, where a 69 per cent reservation has been implemented, breaching the 50 per cent quota cap established by the Indra Sawhney ruling in 1993, the bill underscores the urgency of addressing Maratha representation.

The MSCBC conducted an extensive survey of over 1.58 lakh families across the state to determine the Maratha community's backwardness. Headed by retired judge Sunil Shukre, the commission submitted the report to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday morning.

Addressing a joint sitting of both houses of the state legislature, Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais on Tuesday reaffirmed the state's commitment to the welfare of Marathi-speaking people in border areas of Karnataka and implementing schemes to give them benefits in education, health care and other sectors.

Bais highlighted Maharashtra's significant contributions to the national GDP, accounting for 14.2 per cent, and its role as a leader in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with an impressive sum of 65,500 crores, constituting 48.73 per cent of total FDI inflows into India.

(With inputs from Mumbai Bureau)