HYDERABAD: Going back on its earlier stance of coming up with a Bill to increase reservations to Schedules Tribes (STs) of the state, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) decided to toe the line of Opposition parties and come up with a Government Order (GO) paving way for increasing the existing six per cent ST reservations to nine per cent.
The TRS government convened a special session of the State Legislative Assembly in April adopting a Bill increasing the reservations to STs from the present 6 per cent to 10 per cent and hiked the reservations from 4 to 12 per cent for backward class Muslims. The Bill was sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for approval.
However, with strong feelers that the Centre may not clear the Bill immediately as it also involved Muslim reservations, the State has decided to issue a GO on its own enhancing the reservations to STs from 6 to 9 per cent.
When both the Muslim and ST reservations were clubbed and a Bill for the same was introduced in the State Legislative Assembly, main Opposition Congress opposed the same. Senior Congress MLA T Jeevan Reddy, who is also an advocate, suggested the government on the floor of the Assembly that the ST reservations could be increased in the state as per their population. Now, the state government has decided to do the same.
A delegation of ST representatives called on Deputy Chief Minister (Education) K Srihari and Tribal Welfare Minister Azmeera Chandulal at Secretariat on Saturday. The ministers assured that a GO would be issued increasing the ST reservation to 9 per cent within 15 days.
Speaking to Express later, TRS MP from Mahabubabad Sitaram Naik said: “The Constitution provides an opportunity to the states to increase the ST reservations as per their population. Srihari assured us that a GO will be issued within 15 days increasing the reservations to STs”. Sitaram Naik said the ST population in Telangana was 9.34 per cent. However, with seven mandals in Khammam district merged with AP, it now stands at 9.08 per cent. “So, the government has decided to increase the present reservations to 9 per cent as per 2011 census,” Naik said.
Though the decision is late but better late than never, says T Jeevan Reddy
Speaking to Express, Congress Legislature Party Deputy leader T Jeevan Reddy said that if the government issued a GO increasimg the ST reservations, the Congress welcomes it. “The State can issue a GO and increase the quota for STs. It is possible,” Jeevan Reddy said.
He demanded that the GO should be issued immediately and 9 per cent reservations should be implemented from this academic year. “Though the decision is late, better late than never,” Jeevan Reddy added. With 9 per cent reservations, the total quota in the state would increase to 61 per cent. However, in some special cases, the ST reservations can be enhanced as per their population.