Observers point out to dissenting voices against implementation of quota in haste
The recently submitted Backward Class Commission report has revealed that five out of eleven members of the commission had expressed their reservations stating that it will be a technically difficult to prove the social, educational and economic backwardness of Maratha community with the mere sample size of 50,000 family survey. Hence, the process of giving reservations shouldn't be done in haste.
Maharashtra government had appointed MG Gaikwad as chairman of the Backward class commission. It has recently submitted its 10 months finding a report to state government. The commission report suggested that the government should carry out the door-to-door survey to ascertain the socially, educationally and economically backwardness of the Maratha community.
DNA has accessed the crucial parts of the Backward commission report.
According to the report, it will be premature to ascertain Maratha caste as socially and economically backward without a detailed survey. "The caste-based census was carried out in 1931. Since then no such survey was carried out. We do not have any such authentic caste-wise population survey report so to ascertain the claim of the community people. We faced difficulties to decide the exact percentage of Maratha community in the state. However, in 50,000 sample size family survey, it came out that the Maratha community is quite backwards economically. So they need to be given economic based benefits," as mentioned in the report.
Political observors believe that it is these dissenting voices of committee members in the report that dissuaded the government from tabling the report on the floor of the assembly. The government only constituted a cabinet sub-committee to ponder on the implementation of the report. NCP who was against tabling the report on Wednesday joined forces with the Congress and is now demanding to table the report.
The report further reads that after doing the survey, there was the difference of opinion whether Maratha community is really socially backwards or not? It further reads that only backwardness in educations is not enough to give the reservations or add them into Other Backward Class. "This education backwardness based reservation demand is against the tenet of the Indian constitution. The purpose of the reservations to bring the backward community at par with the forward community. If the reservations are given on the basis of economic backwardness, then it will be individual-centric reservations. Besides, in every community, caste, religion, there are a number of people who are still economically backward. Poverty is part of social life. Therefore it is against the constitution to give them reservations on the basis of economic poverty," stated in the report.
The report further reads that there was no difference of opinion among the members while ascertaining the educational and economic backwardness of the Maratha community.
"But are the Maratha socially backwards? On this issue, there is a difference of opinions among the researchers and economists. Therefore, if the government wants to give reservations to Maratha community, then they should be given reservation without disturbing the existing 50% of total reservations that includes 13% for SC, 7% for SC while 27% for OBC," mentioned in the concluding note of the commission report.
WHAT REPORT SAYS
- The caste-based census was carried out in 1931. Since then no such survey was carried out. We do not have any such authentic caste-wise population survey report so to ascertain the claim of the community people
- However, in 50,000 sample size family survey, it came out that the Maratha community is quite backwards economically. So they need to be given economic based benefits. After doing the survey, there was the difference of opinion
- If the government wants to give reservations to Maratha community, then they should be given reservation without disturbing the existing 50% of total reservations that includes 13% for SC, 7% for SC while 27% for OBC
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 "Maratha Community")
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