Sub-categorization of OBCs: The Long-Awaited Report and Its Significance

Sub-categorization of OBCs: The Long-Awaited Report and Its Significance

Subject: Polity

Section: Constitution

Context:

The report of the commission headed by Justice G Rohini on sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) was submitted to President on July 31, 2023, after numerous extensions to its tenure since its appointment on October 2, 2017.

Who are OBCs?

• Other Backward Classes, are a group of socially and educationally disadvantaged communities in India.
• The concept of OBCs emerged in the context of social reform movements during the colonial period and post-independence era.
• The Mandal Commission’s report, submitted in 1980, led to the implementation of 27% reservations for OBCs in government jobs and educational institutions in 1990.

Why is there a need for sub-categorization?

With over 2,600 entries in the Central List of OBCs, there is a perception that only a few affluent communities have benefited from the quota.

• Equitable Distribution: To ensure a fair distribution of benefits among various OBC communities.
• Addressing Inequities: Recognize variations in socio-economic status and backwardness within OBCs.
• Enhancing Representation: Improve access to opportunities for underrepresented OBC communities.
• Supreme Court Verdict: The court emphasized the need for reexamination of sub-categorization.
• Promoting Social Justice: Aligning with the principle of social justice in the Indian Constitution.
• Better Data and Targeting: Improving data collection for more effective policies.

What is Rohini Commission and what are its terms of reference?

• The commission was set up by the President under Article 340 of the Indian Constitution on October 2, 2017.
• It is a four-member commission headed by former Delhi High Court judge, Justice G. Rohini (retd).
• Mandate: To examine the issues related to the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes.
• Terms of References:
  • Initially:
    • to examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the castes or communities included in the broad category of Other Backward Classes, with reference to such classes included in the Central List;
    • to work out the mechanism, criteria, norms, and parameters in a scientific approach for sub-categorization within such Other Backward Classes;
    • to take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes or communities or sub-castes or synonyms in the Central List of Other Backward Classes and classifying them into their respective sub-categories.
  • Added on January 22, 2020:
    • 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

What is Article 340 of the constitution?

• Article 340 of the Constitution of India provides for the appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions for the improvement of backward classes.

What other commissions were formed under Article 340?

• First Backward Classes Commission (Kaka Kalelkar Commission):
  • Appointed in 1953.
  • Tasked to identify socially and educationally backward classes.
  • Recommended measures for their upliftment.
• Second Backward Classes Commission (Mandal Commission):
  • Appointed in 1979.
  • Tasked to identify socially and educationally backward classes.
  • Its recommendations led to the implementation of reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs and educational institutions.

What are the challenges faced by the commission?

• Lack of population data for OBC communities affected the assessment of their representation in jobs and admissions.
• An all-India survey to estimate the OBC population was requested but not conducted due to elections.
• Delay in the census collecting OBC data was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The report’s sensitive contents could impact parties’ electoral calculations before Lok Sabha elections.
• A 2020 Supreme Court verdict added complexity by revisiting a previous decision. (‘State of Punjab vs Davinder Singh’).