Cabinet approves equivalence of posts in PSUs, PSBs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet on Wednesday resolved an issue on the determination of equivalence of posts in government and posts in Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and Public Sector Banks (PSBs) for claiming benefit of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations.

This addresses an issue pending for nearly 24 years.

The Union Cabinet also approved the increase in the present income criterion of Rs. 6 lakh per annum for applying the Creamy Layer restriction throughout the country, for excluding Socially Advanced Persons/Sections (Creamy Layer) from the purview of reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The new income criterion will be Rs. 8 lakh per annum.

The increase in the income limit to exclude the Creamy Layer is in keeping with the increase in the Consumer Price Index and will enable more persons to take advantage of reservation benefits extended to OBCs in government services and admission to central educational institutions.

These measures are a part of the Government's efforts to ensure greater social justice and inclusion for members of the Other Backward Classes.

The Government has already introduced in Parliament, a bill to provide Constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes.

It has also decided to set up a Commission, under section 340 of the Constitution, to sub categorize the OBCs, so that the more backward among the OBC communities can also access the benefits of reservation for educational institutions and government jobs.

All these decisions, taken together, are expected to ensure greater representation of OBCs in educational institutions and jobs, while also ensuring that the more under-privileged within the category are not denied their chance of social mobility.