E-Paper
With an eye on Maharashtra polls, Eknath Shinde govt's big OBC outreach
A non-creamy layer certificate means the family income of the concerned person is below the prescribed limit
The Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra on Thursday said it would request the Centre to raise the income limit to qualify for ‘non-creamy layer’ to ₹15 lakh per year from the current ₹8 lakh, PTI reported.
The decision by the state cabinet has been taken ahead of the announcement of Maharashtra assembly poll dates by the Election Commission.
A non-creamy layer certificate means the family income of the concerned person is below the prescribed limit. This document is needed to avail of reservation benefits in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
“A draft ordinance to accord a constitutional status to the Maharashtra State Scheduled Caste Commission was also approved in the cabinet meeting,” PTI quoted a statement from the office of Eknath Shinde. The ordinance will be tabled in the next session of the legislature, it said, adding that 27 posts were approved for the commission.
BJP's OBC outreach in Maharashtra similar to Haryana
Months ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, the Nayab Singh Saini government in the state had announced raising the annual income limit for identifying persons in the ‘creamy layer’ among the backward classes (BCs) for reservation from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh.
The move seemed to have benefitted the BJP in the long run, as it managed to defy anti-incumbency and secure a third straight term in the state.
ALSO READ: Five factors that helped BJP defy anti-incumbency in Haryana
The Nayab Singh Saini government accepted the report of the Haryana Scheduled Caste Commission after the Supreme Court had held that states were constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs.
The BJP ended up with its best-ever haul of 48 seats, 11 more than those won by Congress in the present elections. Parties like the JJP and AAP were decimated and the INLD managed to win just two seats.
Out of 17 Scheduled Caste (SC) seats in Haryana, the BJP won eight assembly constituencies – Nilokheri, Pataudi, Kharkhauda, Hodal, Bawal, Narwana, Israna and Bawani Khera.
(With PTI inputs)
