Govt ready to discuss reservation indexing of OBCs

The government Friday said it was ready to discuss reservation indexing of Other Backward Classes and has already set up a committee for its sub-categorisation.

The OBC sub-categorisation committee, under the chairmanship of retired Justice G Rohini, is working on the issue from October, 2017, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh informed the Parliament.

The committee has been asked to submit its report by May 31, he said.

"The government is aware of the issue and is ready to discuss it with an open mind. The intention is justice to every section of the society," Singh said.

The committee, which has four other members, is in the process of gathering information from different quarters, several section of societies and even from various states and Union territories, the minister said.

"The tenure of this committee has been extended on the demand of its members, but the government has asked them to complete the report by May 31, 2019," he said.

The minister was replying to a private member's resolution urging to adopt a new method of implementing reservation benefits--Weighted Index System. This system prioritises reservation by taking into account the relevant social and educational criteria to access the backwardness of every individual.

The resolution moved by BJP MP Vikas Mahatme said
97 per cent of all reservation benefits at the central level for Other Backward Classes (OBC) has been acquired by