NEW DELHI: Nearly a month after the Rohini Commission submitted its report to the Centre, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said the government is likely to decide on the implementation of the report before the general election next year.
Speaking to this newspaper, Athawale said the report was submitted to the President last month. “I think the government will decide on the Rohini Commission report before the election. Only a few caste groups among OBCs were enjoying the reservation benefits and other welfare schemes so far. So, the panel’s role was to examine which caste group is receiving the most benefits of 27 per cent reservation and the groups who have been left out of the reservation pool,” said Athawale.
The commission, which looked into the equitable redistribution of reservation and other benefits for OBCs, submitted its report last month after getting 14 extensions in the last six years. It was learned that in its report the panel found that only a small number of caste groups among all OBCs were availing of the reservation and other benefits. There are over 2,600 caste groups listed in the Central OBC list.
According to analysts, there will be political backlash from some dominant caste groups if the government decides to implement the proposals of the panel in the run-up to the elections. “The government will have to consider all that. Now, the creamy layer of the OBC group, which gets more benefits, is also angry. However, my party’s position is that sub-categorisation of OBCs is needed,” said the minister.
The Rohini Commission report assumes extra significance at a time when the Supreme Court has refused to stay the publication of the Bihar caste survey which has been completed. The renewed demand of several Opposition-ruled states and its allies for a nationwide caste census to determine reservations for OBCs in jobs and educational institutions has put the ruling BJP in a tight spot. However, the BJP’s position is ambivalent in this matter. “My party (RPI) has also demanded nation- wide caste census with the government several times. Our party’s stand is that a count of all castes is necessary for proportional distribution of reservation and other benefits,” said Athawale.
While several parties maintaining that if the government wants to implement the equitable distribution of 27 per cent among the OBCs, it should first conduct a caste census to have comprehensive data on the number of the OBCs. However, the Minister said that a caste census is not required to implement the proposals of the Rohini Commission. “We already know how many OBC caste groups are there. So we don’t need a caste census to enumerate that,” he said.
Commission in a nutshell
October, 2017
4-member committee, headed by Justice G Rohini was set up for the sub-categorisation of OBC
January 2, 2018
was the deadline to submit the report by; the panel, however, got 14 extensions
July 31, 2023
The committee submitted its report
Objectives
Findings
Implication