Patna, Nov 7 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday proposed new reservation formula for government services in the state, by increasing upper reservation limit from 60 percent to 75 percent, leaving only 25 percent for candidates of unreserved category.
Kumar after a debate on caste survey report tabled in Bihar Legislative Assembly, said that as per latest available figure on population of various castes in the state, there was need for changing the existing reservation pattern for government services in Bihar.
As per the existing formula, a total of 50 percent reservation was being given to SCs, STs OBCs and EBCs while additional 10 percent reservation was also being given to those poor among upper castes, he added.
The Chief Minister said that Schedule Castes (SCs) would now be given 20 percent while Scheduled Tribes(STs) would be given 2 percent. After giving 22 percent reservation to them, only 28 percent would remain available for Other Backwards and Extremely Backwards, which should also be increased, Kumar added.
He said that government proposed to increase the reservation to 43 percent for OBCs and EBCs. In this way, 65 percent posts in government services would be reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs, Nitish further said adding that 10 percent posts would also be reserved for poor among upper castes as being done at present.
The Chief Minister said that the state government had decided to conduct caste survey from its own resources in Bihar after Centre refused to conduct caste census at national level.
An all-party delegation from Bihar had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2021 to request him for National level caste census but he did not respond positively and ultimately Centre rejected the demand, he recalled.
BJP was then part of the government headed by him, he noted.
Kumar making a veiled attack on BJP, said that hurdles were created in Patna High Court and Supreme Court to prevent Bihar Government from conducting caste survey.
It was true that caste census could be done only by the Central government but the exercise carried out in Bihar was caste survey and not the caste census, he said.
The Chief Minister also proposed a number of a schemes for those extremely poor and economically weaker section of the society. He suggested Central government to conduct caste census at national level so that every section of the society could be given opportunity to taste the fruits of development.
Nitish said that his government was vigorously pursuing policy in spirit of development with justice. If Bihar was given special status category by the Centre, the state government would be in position to pursue its policy of development with social Justice, with more vigour and energy, he remarked.
