Govt sets up committee to study demand of Lingayat community

Maharashtra government today decided to constitute a committee headed by senior minister Dilip Sopal to examine demands of the Lingayat community for reservations and granting minority status.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters after the cabinet meeting here that recommendations of the cabinet sub committee would be forwarded to the State Backward Class Commission.
A separate process would be initiated to grant minority status to the Lingayat community, Chavan said.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also decided to recommend to the Centre for inclusion of the Dhangar community into the Third Schedule.
Chavan said the cabinet condemned the recent attack on Parliamentary Affairs minister Harshvardhan Patil by few people demanding reservations for Dhangar community where the minister received severe injuries in the eye.

"The cabinet took serious note of the incident and instructions have been issued to the police department to probe the incident and find out if it was a planned conspiracy," he said.