BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, hit out at the BJD government for not implementing a 27 per cent quota for other backward classes (OBC) in the State. Participating in the debate of the Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha, Pradhan said that Odisha is the only State which has not provided the due to the OBC despite having its own list of the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC).
“If the State government wished, it could provide appropriate reservations to backward classes in education and employment. Many states have implemented the 27 per cent quota and states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar have raised the reservation quota to a much higher percentage, in accordance with the population of these special categories,” he added.
Pradhan, who had written several letters to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik demanding immediate implementation of 27 per cent quota for OBC category, said the BJD demand to increase the quota beyond 50 per cent in jobs and education is politically motivated. He said the State government has access to its own SEBC list and also the Centre’s OBC list which can be used for providing appropriate reservations in the field of education.