BHUBANESWAR: Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged his cabinet colleague and minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar to include 108 Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) of Odisha in the central Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.
In a letter to Kumar on Tuesday, Pradhan raised concern that these communities were not getting reservation benefits in central government services and education. This was because several communities enlisted in the state SEBC list were yet to be included in the central OBC list.
“This discrepancy has resulted in ambiguities and interpretational challenges for the members of these communities, particularly when they migrate across states or seek access to central government services, educational institutions or employment opportunities,” Pradhan said.
He pointed out that exclusion of substantial SEBC population of Odisha in the central OBC list deprives them of access to national-level reservation benefits and welfare schemes. Emphasising the importance of inclusion of these communities in the central OBC list, he said, it was necessary to ensure parity between the state and central frameworks, while also advancing the cause of social justice and inclusive development.
Enclosing a detailed list of 108 SEBC communities, he requested Kumar’s personal intervention in the matter to promote educational and economic advancement among historically disadvantaged groups. In a separate letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Pradhan had requested for reconstitution of the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes which has ceased to function from January 3, 2024.