Rajasthan okays bills on quotas for economically, special backward classes

The Rajasthan assembly on Tuesday passed two bills, providing reservation in educational institutions and government jobs to economically backward classes and special backward classes including Gujjars.

Gujjars have been agitating for reservation since 2007.

Rajasthan Economically Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the State) Bill, 2015, passed by voice vote in the state assembly, specifically defines "Economically Backward Classes" as people not included in any other category of reservation.

Presenting the bill in the assembly, Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said: "The bill provides for the reservation of seats in educational institutions in the state and of appointments and posts in the services under the state in favour of the economically backward classes to the extent of 14 percent."

Kataria said there was a long standing demand from the poorest classes of the unreserved categories that due to their economic weakness they were unable to compete with the other affluent classes, due to which they were becoming socially and educationally backward.

Conceding a long standing demand of Gujjars, the Rajasthan state assembly also passed by voice vote the Rajasthan Special Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the State) Bill, 2015.

Special backward classes include castes such as Gujjars, Banjara, and Gadiya Lohar, among others.

The reservation in respect of the annual permitted strength for admission into educational institutions and courses in the state and for appointments and posts in the services under the state for special backward classes shall be five percent.

The two bills -- reservation to economically backward classes and special backward classes -- bring the total reservation in the state to 68 percent.

Kataria said: "It will be our endeavour to include both these bills in the ninth schedule of the Constitution."