Bihar's Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, made a significant proposal on Tuesday to expand reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in government jobs and educational institutions within the state. He indicated that a legislative initiative was under consideration during the ongoing assembly session.
Kumar's announcement, eagerly awaited in the aftermath of his government's comprehensive caste economic survey, was delivered during a parliamentary debate following the presentation of the report. He underscored that the survey had been conducted with the collaboration of nine political parties in Bihar.
"The current combined reservation for SCs and STs stands at 17 per cent, and it should be increased to 22 per cent. Similarly, the OBC reservation should be raised from the current 50 per cent to 65 per cent," Kumar asserted.
This proposed augmentation of reservation quotas for OBCs and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) from 50 per cent to 65 per cent is driven by the notable population growth within these segments. According to the state government's caste-based survey released on October 2, 2023, OBCs and EBCs collectively constitute over 60 per cent of Bihar's population.
Kumar also pointed out that there is already a 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and if integrated with the latest proposal, it would raise the state's total reservation to 75 per cent, with 25 per cent remaining unreserved.
Regarding the survey report, Kumar emphasized that it provided a comprehensive breakdown of each caste. He explained, "We initiated this survey at a significant scale, deploying a substantial workforce and providing comprehensive training. Unfortunately, the project was halted due to legal proceedings."
The proposed plan includes a 20 per cent reservation for SCs and a 2 per cent reservation for STs. Additionally, OBCs and EBCs would be eligible for a 43 per cent quota in government jobs and educational institutions, a substantial increase from the current 30 per cent reserved for these groups.
The Supreme Court had earlier capped the quota in jobs, etc., at 50 per cent.
According to the survey report, OBCs, including the extremely backward classes sub-group, accounted for a whopping 63 per cent of the state's total population, while SCs and STs together were slightly over 21 per cent.
The report said more than a third of families in Bihar live on a monthly income of Rs 6,000 or less, while 29.61 per cent of families totalling over 81.91 lakh households earned only between Rs 6,000 and 10,000 per month. This cumulative data signifies that the entire count of Bihar's households earning incomes not exceeding Rs 10,000 now surpasses 63 per cent.
Similarly, the percentage of SC-ST families living on similar income is around 42 per cent, while 33.16 per cent of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and 33.58 per cent of Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) also face poverty, according to the caste-economic survey.