Why in News ?

Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court reopened the legal debate on OBC sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for reservations, referring the issue to a larger Bench to decide.

About OBC SUB-Categorisation

• Creating categories within OBCs for reservation in jobs and education under the central government.
• The fact is that only a few affluent communities among the over 2,600 included in the Central List of OBCs have secured a major part of this 27% reservation.
• It would ensure “equitable distribution” of representation among all OBC communities.

Commission to Examine Sub-categorisation

• Commission took charge on October 11, 2017 for a tenure of one year Initially constituted with a tenure of 12 weeks later the tenure extended. 
• The commission is headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice G Rohini, includes Centre for Policy Studies director Dr J K Bajaj as member, and has two other ex-officio members.
• Aim of the Commission :
  • Examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among OBCs with reference to such classes included in the Central List.
  • Mechanism, criteria, norms, possibility and parameters for sub-categorisation within such OBCs.
  • Take up identifying the respective castes or communities or sub-castes in the Central List of OBCs and classifying them into their respective sub-categories.
  • Recommend correction of any repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies and errors of spelling or transcription entries in the Central List of OBCs. 

Findings of the commission

Based on the 1.3 lakh jobs in the past 5 years and admission of OBC in various institutions, including universities for the past 3 years 

• A lion share of 97% of all OBC reservation jobs given to just 25% of all sub-castes classified as OBC.
• 24.95% of these jobs and seats have given to just 10 OBC communities.
• 994 OBC sub-castes have a total representation of only 2.68% in recruitment and admissions.
• 983 OBC communities 37% of the total have zero representation in jobs and educational institutions.

Various other reports and statistics

Department of Personnel and Training annual report

• 13.01% in group-A central government services
• 14.78% in group-B
• 22.65% in group-C (excluding safai karmacharis)
• 14.46% in group-C (safai karmacharis)

National Commission for Backward Classes

a number of posts reserved for OBCs were being filled by people of general category as OBC candidates were declared NFS (None Found Suitable).

Indian Express Findings

• Not a single professor and associate professor appointed under the OBC quota in central universities.
• The data showed
  • 95.2% of the professors, 92.9% of associate professors and 66.27% of assistant professors were from the general category (which may also include SCs, STs and OBCs who had not availed the quota).
  • At assistant professor level, representation of OBCs was just 14.38%.

Source : Indian Express

Topic

Prelims

GS II : Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections

Current Affairs Compilation : 3 September 2020