Panel for OBC Sub-Categorisation Gets its 14th Extension

Published
31st Jan, 2023

Context

The commission under former Chief Justice of the Delhi high court, G. Rohini, which is tasked with the sub-categorisation of the Other Backward Classes has been given its 14th extension by the President.

Background

Background

The commission under Justice Rohini was formed in October 2017.
The commission was formed by the President under Article 340 of the constitution.
Objective: to slot the nearly 3,000 caste groups that makeup India’s OBCs into categories.

The commission would then have to recommend how the 27% reservation for OBCs could be distributed among these sub-categories in a manner that was most equitable.

It was first given 12 weeks to slot the nearly 3,000 caste groups that makeup India's OBCs into categories.

Need to make classification:

Uneven distribution

In 2018, a consultation paper prepared by the commission was reported to have found that of the jobs and educational positions reserved for OBCs at the Central level, 97% have gone to people from less than a quarter of all OBC sub-castes.
In addition, 938 OBC sub-castes – which make up 37% of the total number – have no representation at all in the reserved seats.

To examine the uneven distribution of reservation benefits among different castes in the central OBC list.
To work out the mechanism, criteria, norms, and parameters in a scientific approach for sub-categorisation within such OBCs.
To take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes/communities/sub-castes/synonyms for comprehensive data coverage.

Evolution of OBC status in India:

The Kalelkar Commission, set up in 1953, was the first to identify backward classes other than the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at the national level.
The Mandal Commission Report, 1980 estimated the OBC population at 52% and classified 1,257 communities as backward.
- It recommended increasing the existing quotas, which were only for SC/ST, from 22.5% to 49.5% to include the OBCs.
Constitutional Backing for OBC reservation:
The central government reserved 27% of seats in union civil posts and services for OBCs [Article 16(4)].
- The quotas were subsequently enforced in central government educational institutions [Article 15 (4)].
In 2008, the Supreme Court directed the central government to exclude the creamy layer (advanced sections) among the OBCs.
The 102nd Constitution Amendment Act, of 2018 provided constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), which was previously a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.