NEW DELHI: The government has extended the term of the commission set up to examine the issue of sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) till June 20. The government granted the extension after the commission's head Justice G Rohini made a request for the same citing "voluminous" nature of the task, The New Indian Express has learnt.
Notably, this is the second time that the five-member panel has been granted an extension. The commission, which was constituted on October 2, last year, was stipulated to submit its report on sub-categorising 5,000-odd castes in the central OBC list within 12 weeks of its formation.
Earlier, the Union Cabinet had extended the time given to the panel for submission of its report from January 2018 to April 2, 2018. The task envisages sub-categorising all the castes in the central OBC list in order to ensure a “more equitable distribution” of opportunities in Central government jobs and educational institutions.
A senior official in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment confirmed that a second extension has been granted to the panel. However, the official added that this is the “final extension” that has been granted to the commission and that the panel will have to submit its report by June 20.
Sources said the commission sought another extension on grounds of analysing data on recruitment of various categories of OBCs in government jobs and admissions in higher educational institutions. The commission is studying statistics from several universities, including AIIMS, IITs as well as data from all central government departments, PSUs, and public sector banks and financial institutions, sources said.