Explore Business Standard
Backward Classes Commission
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the Telangana government's plea challenging a high court order which stayed a government order providing 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes in local bodies. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the state's plea against the October 9 order of the Telangana High Court. The high court had issued an interim stay against the government order. The high court, which was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the state government's order that increased the Backward Classes quota, had directed the state to file its reply in four weeks. Some of the petitioners before the high court challenged the September 26, 2025, government order, saying the 42 per cent quota to Backward Classes raises total reservation in local bodies to 67 per cent. It breaches the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations laid down by the court in its verdicts, they claimed.
Telangana cabinet on Thursday decided to issue an ordinance facilitating 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes in local body polls by amending an Act that was passed by the State Assembly in 2018, Revenue Minister P Srinivasa Reddy said. In a media briefing after the cabinet meeting here, he said the state government is committed to implement the reservation for BCs as promised by the Congress party earlier. "In order to implement the 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes in local body elections, an ordinance will be issued to amend an Act passed by the Assembly in 2018," Reddy said. On June 25, the Telangana High Court directed the state government to hold elections for local bodies within three months. The minister further said Telangana Advocate General was invited for the cabinet meeting and sought his legal opinion on the issue of ordinance. Reddy said the State Assembly had already passed a bill providing 42 per cent reservation to BCs, and it was sent to the Ce
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday told the state Assembly that backwardness is the only benchmark to decide the OBC status of people. Maintaining that a disinformation campaign is continuing on social media by some quarters, she asserted that there is no connection with religion in deciding the inclusion of any person in the OBC category. Noting that the only benchmark for deciding OBC status in the state is backwardness, Banerjee said that a commission set up by the government is holding a survey on 50 new subsections for inclusion in that category. The chief minister said that 49 subsections have been included under the OBC-A and 91 under OBC-B categories. She said that while more backward sections of people have been included under OBC-A, the less backward people come under OBC-B. The chief minister addressed the House after laying the annual report of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes for the financial year 2024-25. Banerjee said that all ...
The caste census report, submitted to the Karnataka cabinet, has recommended enhancing the reservation for Backward Communities from the existing 32 per cent to 51 per cent. According to government sources, the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, caste census in short, also highlighted that the population of BC is 70 per cent. The report also suggested that 51 per cent reservation should be given to the BCs in educational institutions in the state. It cited the example of Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand, which are providing 69 and 77 per cent reservations respectively as per the backward class population, the sources said. As per the survey report, the population of Backward Communities in 1A category is 34,96,638, 1B- 73,92,313, 2A- 77,78,209, 2B- 75,25,880, 3A-- 72,99,577 and the Backward Community in the 3B category is 1,54,37,113, sources claimed. This way the total population of Other Backward Castes is 4,16,30,153. The sources, citing the report, claimed that the Scheduled Cast
Reviving its presence at the grassroot level to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, the Samajwadi Party is preparing cadre comprising people from the backward, Dalit and minorities at the booth level in Uttar Pradesh. The 'PDA cadre' will include 10 people from the backward castes. The PDA acronym given by party president Akhilesh Yadav means 'Picchde' (backwards), Dalits and 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities) and the party feels that following the PDA agenda will help it in countering the BJP. "We are preparing a PDA cadre at all the booths in the state. The process for the same has started and frontal organisations of the party are working on it. The plan is to including ten influential people of PDA on each booths in the state," a senior party leader told PTI. Once the cadre is ready, the party headquarters here will have all the details of the people in it and the can be utilised to spread the message of the party and also counter any propaganda against it, he said. This PDA cadre
The Andhra Pradesh government will begin Backward Classes caste census around November 15, aimed at better serving the 139 communities which fall under this category, Minister C Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna said on Wednesday. The Backward Classes Welfare Minister noted the government will extensively deploy the village secretariat system for the caste census, along with the volunteer system. "From November 15, one week here and there, this caste census will begin. For the BC caste census, the village secretariat system will be used extensively, along with the volunteer system," said Krishna, addressing a press conference at the Secretariat. According to the Minister, there are about 139 BC castes in the state and the people from these communities are oblivious to their numerical strength. He highlighted that the backward classes communities also do not know the level of their representation in various fields and said the census will solve these riddles. Krishna said several ...
Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has hit out at the Congress, accusing it of not doing anything for backward classes during the 70 years of its rule, and alleged that it also opposed reservation for people from this community. The Civil Aviation Minister made the allegation while talking to reporters in Gwalior on Friday. His remark comes in the wake of the 'Jitni abaadi, utna haq" (rights proportionate to the population) pitch made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following the Bihar government's caste survey report, which revealed that the Extremely Backward Classes and the Other Backward Classes constitute 63 per cent of the state's population. Replying to a question about Bihar's caste survey and the Congress's reaction to it, Scindia said, "This party (Congress) did not do anything for the backward classes in 70 years." "When the report of a commission (on backward classes) was submitted during the tenure of prime minister Morarji Desai, the Congress opposed it. When the ...
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said merely making law to help the backward community is not enough and mindsets have to be changed towards such people to ensure their upliftment. Bhagwat gave the remarks here on the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti. Addressing a gathering at Nanarao Park here, Bhagwat said, "The Valmiki community is still very weak and is lagging behind. It has to come forward. Provisions have been made in the Constitution. The king (government) is looking after implementation of the law. Despite this, if there is no 'apnaapan' (sense of belongingness), then it will not benefit those for whom it is meant." The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh sarsanghchalak said that Dr (Bhimrao) Ambedkar made provisions in the Constitution for the upliftment of the Scheduled Caste and Dalit communities. "He (Dr Ambedkar) had said that now the Dalits would sit with everyone. We made this provision. But, merely making the provision will not be enough. The mindset has to be transformed, and
Haryana State Backward Classes Commission on Tuesday submitted its report related to reservation for the backward class people in the upcoming elections to panchayati raj institutions. The report has been prepared on the basis of suggestions collected from people across the state. The report by the commission, which is headed by former judge of Punjab and Haryana high court Justice Darshan Singh, was submitted to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. "Haryana State Backward Classes Commission has prepared its report on the basis of suggestions collected from people across the state regarding reservation for backward classes in the elections of panchayati raj institutions. The report was submitted to the chief minister today," said an official statement here. Apart from this, suggestions were also taken from the office bearers of various political parties at the national and state level. The panchayat elections will be held in the state next month. The commission is tasked with ...
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that the state government is making the Backward Classes Commission afresh, bringing in fold the nomadic tribes. "After its formation, this commission will take care of all the problems of the community. It will be ensured that the people get benefits of all schemes through the commission," he said. The Haryana Backward Classes Commission had been dissolved in May 2016. Khattar said that in order to bring the nomadic tribes into the mainstream of the society, their families have been issued a Parivar Pehchan Patra' -- a family identity card. "Now they will get the benefit of all the schemes and services of the government through PPP. A survey of homeless nomadic families has been done in the state and we are making a plan to settle them," he said at an event here, according to an official statement. He said the youths belonging to these castes are now being given five extra marks in the government recruitment exams. "I am