OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES

Recently,  the Centre extended the tenure of The Commission to Examine Sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) headed by Justice G Rohini, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.

The Commission constituted nearly five years ago, has received 10 extensions so far and is now required to submit its report by January 31 next year.

2. About the sub-categorization of OBCs

• The concept of sub-categorization of OBCs involves creating sub-groups within the larger OBC category for reservation purposes.
• Currently, OBCs are granted 27% reservation in jobs and education under the central government.
• However, there has been a debate over the equitable distribution of these benefits among the various OBC communities.
• Some argue that a few affluent communities within the Central List of OBCs have disproportionately secured the majority of the reservation benefits.
• Creating sub-categories aims to ensure a fairer distribution of representation among all OBC communities.

3. The Rohini Commission's Brief

1. To examine the extent of inequitable distribution of reservation benefits among the OBC castes or communities included in the Central List.
2. To devise a scientific approach for sub-categorization within the OBCs, including defining the mechanism, criteria, norms, and parameters.
3. To identify respective castes, communities, sub-castes, or synonyms in the Central List of OBCs and classify them into their respective sub-categories.
4. To study the Central List of OBCs and rectify any repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies, and errors.

• The Commission's progress has faced various challenges, including the absence of data on the population of different communities to compare their representation in jobs and education.
• Initially, the Commission had requested an all-India survey to estimate the caste-wise population of OBCs but later decided against it.
• Additionally, the government has remained silent on the collection of OBC data in the Census, despite demands from OBC groups.

4. The Extent of OBC Recruitment in Central Jobs

• As part of its findings, the Commission analyzed data from the preceding five years on OBC quota-based central jobs and admissions to central higher education institutions.
• It revealed that a disproportionate number of jobs and educational seats went to a small fraction of OBC sub-castes, with 37% of the total OBC communities having no representation in jobs and educational institutions.
• Regarding OBC representation in central jobs, as of March 17, the data showed that 20.26% of Group A to Group C employees were OBCs.
• However, the representation drops to 16.88% in Group A, where the reservation for OBCs is 27%.

Image Source: The Indian Express

5. The Way Forward

• Despite the challenges faced, the Commission has made significant progress, including drafting a report on sub-categorization.
• However, the final report is yet to be submitted. The extended tenure will provide the Commission with additional time to address the complexities of OBC sub-categorization and propose measures to achieve equitable distribution of reservation benefits among all OBC communities.