Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced that the state government will assign a six per cent quota to the Most Backward Castes within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
According to a media report, this newly proposed reservation will supplement the existing 21 per cent reservation that has already been designated for OBCs in the state.
Gehlot took to micro-blogging platform Twitter on Wednesday night to explain that the OBC commission will conduct a comprehensive survey to identify the most backward castes within the OBC category. The commission is expected to present its findings within a specified timeframe.
Gehlot emphasised that this initiative will facilitate increased access to education and government jobs for the identified castes.
The CM highlighted that several organisations advocating the rights of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) have consistently called for population-based reservations. The government is actively evaluating this demand.
More than 42 per cent of teaching positions designated for candidates from OBC, SC and ST categories in 45 central universities remain unfilled. Out of a total of 7,033 sanctioned positions for OBC, SC and ST candidates, 3,007 positions are currently vacant.
Gehlot also said in the context of the 10 per cent reservation allocated for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) that the Rajasthan government has removed the requirement for immovable property. This change enables this segment of the population to fully avail of the benefits of the reservation policy.
Meanwhile, in a separate event organised to commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, also known as World Tribal Day, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi lauded the Rajasthan government’s Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme, hailing it as the finest in the nation. He also launched a new scheme, which entails distributing free smartphones to 40 lakh women in the initial phase.
Gandhi further participated in the Annapurna scheme, which provides free essential food items including chana dal, sugar, salt (one kg each), edible oil (one litre), chilli powder, coriander powder (100 grams each) and turmeric powder (50 grams) to eligible recipients. During the event, Gandhi voiced his commitment to fostering connections among people and criticised the spread of hatred across the country. He recounted his efforts to unite the nation, including the Bharat Jodo Yatra initiative.
