Prepare flawless survey report on Maratha community for quota: Maha CM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday directed the state officials to prepare a "flawless" survey report of the Maratha community in the state.

Shinde issued the directives to the divisional commissioners, district collectors and municipal commissioners in the state in a video-conference meeting held during the day.

Referring to the Supreme Court's decision of striking down the Maharashtra Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018, for having breached the 50 per cent reservation cap, he said, "The apex court pointed out several errors in that Act while striking it down. We have filed a curative petition and need a flawless survey report over the Maratha community." A questionnaire has already been sent to all the district collectors, he said, adding that there was a need to increase the number of enumerators as it was a "crucial" report for the government.

"The state government has made Rs 367 crore available to the State Backward Class Commission. The state is also developing a software for the same, and enumerators will be trained on its usage," the chief minister said. He called for expediting the translation of old documents in scripts like Modi, and languages like Persian and Urdu. It should be uploaded on the portal for public usage, he said.