Amit Shah lauds Modi Govt for raising OBC creamy layer bar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah lauded the Centre for raising the creamy layer income limit for the Other backward Classes (OBCs) for central government jobs and said the marginalised sections of the society will get the benefit of reservation and other schemes.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday increased the creamy layer ceiling for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category to eight lakh rupees per annum from the existing six lakh for central government jobs.

Welcoming the decision of the Union Government, the BJP chief said in a statement that the move which would benefit a large section of the backward society is evidence of his party's commitment to the overall development.

"The decision of the Modi government shows the BJP's and its government's sensitivity and commitment to the holistic development of backwards and different social classes," he said.

Dubbing the decision as 'just', Shah said that this provision will give priority to the OBCs which require more reservation and other facilities due to economic backwardness.

Shah also took a dig at the Congress and said, "The Modi government has taken historic step by giving constitutional status to the Other Backward Classes Commission under these initiatives, but due to the grand old party, a constitutional amendment related to it could not be done."

He further expressed confidence that the government would get it passed in Parliament soon.

"I am confident that the Modi government will soon pass this law in Parliament and give it a constitutional status to the Other Backward Classes Commission for the development of the backward class." he said.

Besides raising the creamy layer bar, the Cabinet on Wednesday also announced setting up of a commission to examine sub-categorisation within Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for a "more equitable distribution of reservation benefits".

The Commission will take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes, sub-castes, communities and synonyms in the Central list of OBCs and classifying them into their respective sub-categories. The Commission will submit its report within 12 weeks from the date of appointment of Chairperson.