OBC Panel does not have caste census data, says govt

OBC Panel does not have caste census data , says govt

Subject : Polity

Section: Msc

Concept :

• Union government on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the Justice Rohini Commission, which is looking into the sub­categorisation, has been working without the data from the previous Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) conducted in 2011.

About Rohini Commission

• Headed by Justice (Retd.) G Rohini, the commission was constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution with the approval of the President .
• Article 340 deals with the appointment of a commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes.
• The commission, formed in October 2017, was initially given 12 weeks to finish the task of sub­categorising the nearly 3,000 castes within the OBC umbrella and recommend division of the 27% OBC quota among them equitably.
• Initially, the government cited more time required by the panel to gather information and data and then it cited the pandemic.
• As part of its work, the commission had identified dominant caste groups among all OBC communities in the Central list, finding that a small group of dominant OBC communities were crowding out a large number of communities from the 27% quota.

Sub-categorization of OBCs

• The idea is to create sub-categories within the larger group of OBCs for the purpose of reservation. OBCs are granted 27% reservation in jobs and education under the central government.
• For OBCs, the debate arises out of the perception that only a few affluent communities among the over 2,600 included in the Central List of OBCs have secured a major part of the 27% reservation.
• The argument for creating sub-categories within OBCs is that it would ensure “equitable distribution” of representation among all OBC communities.

Background

• In 2015, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended that OBCs should be categorised into extremely backward classes, more backward classes and backward classes.
• The benefits of the reservation in OBCs are being cornered mostly by the dominant OBC groups over the years so there is a need to recognise sub-quotas for the extremely backward classes within the OBCs.
• NCBC has the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.

Mandate:

• Examine the uneven distribution of reservation benefits among different castes in the central OBC list. For example, certain castes were left out of the ambit because of a difference in spelling in a State.
• Work out mechanism and parameters for sub-categorisation of OBCs, to identify castes, sub-castes and communities and classify them into sub-categories.
• Submit a comprehensive report after consultation with various stakeholders so that Census 2021 can include comprehensive data on OBCs.
• To study the various entries in the Central List of OBCs and recommend correction of any repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies and errors of spelling or transcription.