EZC meet: Bihar Caste survey has issues that need to be resolved, says Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said there are some issues regarding the caste survey conducted by the Bihar government, which he hoped that the state will resolve.

Addressing the Eastern Zonal Council meeting here, Shah said the central government never had any intention of creating hurdles in the caste-based survey.

Following a caste survey in Bihar, the Nitish Kumar administration hiked reservations for deprived castes from 50 to 65 per cent in state government jobs and educational institutions and urged the Centre to incorporate the increased quota in the 9th schedule of the Constitution, so that it gets immunity from legal scrutiny.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Shah said at the meeting that when his party was in power in the state, it had supported the caste-based survey.

"There are some issues regarding the caste survey, which he (Shah) hoped that the state government would resolve," the statement said, without elaborating.

Addressing the meeting that lasted for about three hours, the union home minister said that 1,157 issues have been resolved in the meetings of the zonal councils.

Shah said that in the zonal council meetings, differences on political matters should be avoided and efforts should be made to resolve issues in a liberal manner.

He said that many issues of national importance were also included in the agenda of the Zonal Council meetings.

"These include eliminating malnutrition among children through Poshan Abhiyan (nutrition campaign), reducing the dropout rate of school children, operationalisation of Fast Track Special Courts for speedy investigation and speedy disposal of rape cases against women and children," the statement said.

Other issues include creating facility of banks/India Post Payment Bank branches within 5 km of each village, formation of two lakh new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies in the country and strengthening of all existing PACSs.

Shah said that these issues need to be reviewed every three months at the level of Chief Minister, Minister and Chief Secretary.

Highlighting the increase in the number of Zonal Council meetings after the NDA government came to power at the Centre, Shah said that from 2004 to May 2014, the total number of meetings of the Zonal Councils and their Standing Committees was only 25.

"But in the last 9 years from June 2014 till now, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, a total of 56 meetings of the Zonal Councils and their Standing Committees were held," he said.

Eastern Zonal Council comprises the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.