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.