PUDUCHERRY: CPM has urged the Puducherry government to revise the criteria granting reservation only to ‘Origin’ (indigenous) SCs, who were residing in the UT before 1964 , aligning it with the criteria set for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Most Backward Classes (MBC) which offers reservations to residents who settled in the UT before 2001.
In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister N Rangasamy, CPM State Secretary S Ramachandran called the existing 1964 cut-off year for SC reservations “unfair and discriminatory.”
“Due to such disparities, reservation benefits in higher education are being diverted to the general category,” Ramachandran said adding that this should be prevented. He demanded that all SC categories receive free education from primary to postgraduate level.
Of Puducherry’s estimated 14 lakh population, 16% belong to SC communities. As per government data, 60% of these are considered Origin SCs, while 40% are classified as migrants based on the 1964 benchmark. While central welfare funds are allocated based on the total SC population, state benefits such as scholarships, job reservations, and promotions are extended only to Origin SCs, according to a 2005 government order.
Ramachandran noted that this order was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2014 by a three-member bench, including the Chief Justice of India. However, the verdict has yet to be implemented. “Only those who approach the courts individually are getting relief, which is unjust,” he said, demanding the immediate enforcement of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
He also called for SC certificates to be issued based on maternal lineage to eliminate gender-based discrimination.
Highlighting shrinking employment opportunities, the CPM leader further urged the government to extend reservation benefits for SC, OBC, and MBC communities into the private sector.