The NDA government in 2014 disfavoured demands for bringing Dalit Christians and Muslims under the ambit of reservation for scheduled castes but supported the UPA regime's move to include Jats in the central OBCs list.
The year also witnessed the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment envisaging universal ID cards to persons with disabilities in the coming years.
In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court granted legal recognition to transgenders as "third category of gender" and directed the Centre and all states to treat them as socially and educationally backward classes to extend reservation in admission in educational institutions and for public appointments.
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Paving the way to bring transgenders in national mainstream, the apex court in April also directed governments to take steps to remove problems faced by them such as fear, shame, social pressure, depression and social stigma.
This led the government to constitute an inter- ministerial committee to pursue implementation of the recommendations of an expert committee, seeking third gender status for transgenders.
A proposal to give constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) is under the consideration of the government, the Centre told Parliament. It also said that no proposal for reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs in the private sector was under the government's consideration.
Moreover, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2014, to amend the PoA Act was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 16 which was referred to the Departmental Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment for examination.
