The Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes will submit its report on whether the Maratha community in the state is eligible for reservations in jobs and education — a demand the community has been pushing for since 2016 with protests and silent marches.
One such protest that turned violent earlier this year forced the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government to set a deadline to announce the reservations. The government asked the panel to study the economic and social backwardness of the Marathas following a Bombay HC order.
The panel, headed by MG Gaikwad, was given time till November 15 to submit its report.
While details of the report will be made public on Thursday, the panel has endorsed the social, educational and financial backwardness of the community, government officials who did not wish to be named told HT.
On Wednesday, chief minister Fadnavis said the state was “committed to take a call on reservation by November end”.
“We expect the report to be submitted to us by Thursday, after which we will have to follow the statutory procedure, which will take 15 days,” Fadnavis said.
If the report recommends quotas for the Marathas, the state government will have to first get it vetted by legal and constitutional experts, and then introduce a bill before the state legislature during its winter session, beginning November 19. To study the backwardness, the panel surveyed 43,629 families in 175 tehsils, collected data on the community’s presence in government jobs and enrolment rates in colleges. The panel received two lakh memorandums to establish community’s customs and tradition. To measure if the community is backward in terms of social, educational and economic development, each of these factors was given a weightage of 10,8 and 7 points respectively — a total of 25 points. According to the panel’s report, the community scored 21 on 25, fairly above the 50%-mark required for any community to be considered backward, and therefore, be eligible for reservations, an official close to the developments said. “The survey gathered information related to caste-based backwardness, the type of work the community women were engaged in, the percentage of the population that was below poverty line, the amount of land it holds, dropout rates in schools, and presence in educational institutions, among others,” the official said. The commission’s mandate was to study the backwardness of the community, and it is unlikely to recommend how the state can accord the quota, which is the next challenge the government is faced with, said an official from the social justice department. “The government may not include the Marathas in the existing OBC quota, but, any additional reservation would mean it crosses the SC-mandated cap of having reservations only up to 50% . This means, it will not stand legal scrutiny,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}If the report recommends quotas for the Marathas, the state government will have to first get it vetted by legal and constitutional experts, and then introduce a bill before the state legislature during its winter session, beginning November 19. To study the backwardness, the panel surveyed 43,629 families in 175 tehsils, collected data on the community’s presence in government jobs and enrolment rates in colleges. The panel received two lakh memorandums to establish community’s customs and tradition. To measure if the community is backward in terms of social, educational and economic development, each of these factors was given a weightage of 10,8 and 7 points respectively — a total of 25 points. According to the panel’s report, the community scored 21 on 25, fairly above the 50%-mark required for any community to be considered backward, and therefore, be eligible for reservations, an official close to the developments said. “The survey gathered information related to caste-based backwardness, the type of work the community women were engaged in, the percentage of the population that was below poverty line, the amount of land it holds, dropout rates in schools, and presence in educational institutions, among others,” the official said. The commission’s mandate was to study the backwardness of the community, and it is unlikely to recommend how the state can accord the quota, which is the next challenge the government is faced with, said an official from the social justice department. “The government may not include the Marathas in the existing OBC quota, but, any additional reservation would mean it crosses the SC-mandated cap of having reservations only up to 50% . This means, it will not stand legal scrutiny,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}Maharashtra currently has 19% reserved for 346 castes in the OBC category, another 8% quota for 39 tribes under the Nomadic Tribes category. SC and ST have 13% and 7% reservations respectively. Vimukt Jatis and Special Backward Classes have quotas of 3% and 2% respectively. Marathas first raised a demand for reservation in 1993. The Congress-led government passed a bill providing a 16% quota to Marathas ahead of the Assembly polls in 2014. Bombay HC, in November that year, put the decision on hold and asked for the study.
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