BHUBANESWAR: The commission constituted by the state government to examine the representation of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) in local self-government institutions has sought district-wise data from the ST & SC Development, M&BCW department within 45 days to assess their actual political representation in Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) and urban local dodies (ULBs).
Headed by retired Orissa High Court judge Justice Pramath Patnaik, the commission has asked the department, its nodal agency, to coordinate with all district collectors and ensure the collection and submission of the requisite information in approved formats. It has requested the department to furnish the consolidated data at the earliest, preferably within 45 days, to facilitate timely examination and further action. The exercise assumes significance ahead of the panchayat and urban local body elections scheduled to be held in the state next year.
The data sought includes details of SEBC members elected under the unreserved (UR) category in PRIs and ULBs across the state. The information is expected to help the commission assess the actual political representation of SEBCs in local bodies and examine the need for proportionate reservation to ensure their effective participation in grassroots democratic institutions.
The government constituted the commission on October 7 in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court. Retired IAS officer Bijay Kumar Prusty has been appointed as a member, while the department’s special secretary Soojata Misra is the member secretary.
The commission has started functioning from its office on the premises of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI). Since its constitution, the commission has held several meetings to deliberate on issues relating to SEBC representation and finalise the methodology for the assessment.
Sources said the district-wise data collection is aimed at enabling an evidence-based assessment of the political representation of SEBCs in local bodies across the state, in accordance with the applicable constitutional and legal provisions.
