Savarna Ekta Manch

Today on 2nd Night of Navrtatri Festival ; Lollypop Distribution to Garba Players to agitate against Government Package @ Ghatlodia

Savarna Ekta Manch

Happy Navratri

Congratulations to Bhautik Patel to Being Convener for East - Ahmedabad

Savarno Jago... Anamat Mango.

Join in India's Revolution! Let's Think Out of The Box. Work for Economical Backward Class Indian Citizen

Wikipedia: Other Backward Class (OBC) is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are socially and educationally disadvantaged. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs and STs). The OBCs were found to comprise 52% of the country's population by the Mandal Commission report of 1980, a figure which had shrunk to 41% by 2006 when the National Sample Survey Organisation took place.

In the Indian Constitution, OBCs are described as "socially and educationally backward classes", and the Government of India is enjoined to ensure their social and educational development — for example, the OBCs are entitled to 27% reservations in public sector employment and higher education. The list of OBCs maintained by the Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is dynamic, with castes and communities being added or removed depending on social, educational and economic factors.

Until 1985, the affairs of the Backward Classes were looked after by the Backward Classes Cell in the Ministry of Home Affairs. A separate Ministry of Welfare was established in 1985 (renamed in 1998 to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) to attend to matters relating to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs.[4] The Backward Classes Division of the Ministry looks after the policy, planning and implementation of programmes relating to social and economic empowerment of OBCs, and matters relating to two institutions set up for the welfare of OBCs, the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation and the National Commission for Backward Classes.

Join Now!

The Indian Express: New Delhi, Thu Jul 11 2013, 22:12 hrs :

With an eye on the 2014 polls, the Centre is set to classify all households whose annual incomes do not exceed Rs 2 lakh — those exempted from paying income tax — as Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), entitled to various beneficiary schemes.

Moving a cabinet note in this regard, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has urged all ministries to include EBCs in existing schemes as well as frame new schemes for them. The ministry's own schemes for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), like

scholarships, coaching and hostel facilities, will cover EBCs too.

"All our existing schemes for OBCs will be extended to EBCs. In the backdrop of the new economic realities, EBCs should be given benefits along with BPL (Below Poverty Line) families," said Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kumari Selji, adding that the individual ministries would decide what schemes would be extended to EBCs.

The ministry, however, has decided to postpone a decision on the demand for quota for EBCs in jobs and admissions. "That is something that needs wider consultations with chief ministers and other political parties," said an official.

Ministry sources said there is a feeling that the BPL category should make way for EBCs. However, the note does not spell this out.

In 2004, a commission was set up to frame recommendations for improving the condition of economically backward people not covered in the existing reservation policy for SCs, STs and OBCs. The ministry, in its definition of EBCs, has followed the committee's recommendation that "all BPL families among general category as notified from time to time, and all those families among general category whose annual family income from all sources is below the taxable limit should be identified as EBCs."

While income will remain the sole criteria for identification of EBCs, subject to revision as and when income tax exemption limits are revised, for now, other parameters could be included at a later stage based on trends emerging out of the socio-economic caste census.

The ministry also proposes to set up a new department for the welfare of EBCs.

Read this essay about the Problems of “Other Backward Classes” (OBC) of India – Essay

On the basis of certain elements of backwardness such as illiteracy and lack of education poverty, exploitation of labour, non-representation in services and untouchability, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are listed in the Constitution while the third group i.e. Other Backward Class is unlisted. Instead it is loosely defined. As a result of the absence of clear definition, the problem of Other Backward classes is very complicated and very difficult to deal with.

India
Image Courtesy : upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Bakitar_Gujar,_1984.jpg

While the term ‘backward classes’ has not been defined by the Indian Constitution, the characteristics of backwardness are described here and there and also sometimes the categories are mentioned. Article 15(4) speaks of the socially and educationally backward class.

Article 16 (4) uses the term ‘backward class’ and speaks of inadequate representation in services. Article 46 mentions the weaker sections of the people and includes in that expression the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Article 340 empowers the State to investigate the conditions of the backward class and to help them by grants.

Recognising that Indian society is made up hundreds of millions of citizens who are utterly poor, illiterate and live in small, closed tribal and village societies the Constitution has laid stress on the social, economic and political justice along ‘with equality of status.

While Article 14 and 15 (1) and (2) emphasise equality of all citizens before law and prohibit discrimination on grounds of caste, creed, birth etc., Article 15 (4) asserts that these Constitutional provisions do not prevent the State from making special provisions for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Thus, the Constitution has recognised that it is necessary to take special steps to help the socially and economically backward classes.

The Backward Class Commission was appointed in 1953 with Kaka Kalelkar as the Chairman according to the Article 340 of the Constitution. The Commission was asked to determine the criteria to be adopted to provide concessions to “socially and educationally backward classes” besides The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The Commission was also asked to prepare a list of such classes. The Commission prepared a list of about 2400 castes. The words specifically used are classes and sections and not castes and yet, as explained in the body of the report the words ‘sections and classes’ mean nothing but castes and no other interpretation is feasible. List prepared for backward classes deemed to have been made in terms of castes and the term ‘backward classes’ has been used to describe and include “backward castes”. But the Constitution does not recognise caste, except the scheduled castes.

It must be recognised that the term ‘class’ is associated with economic category and indicates an ‘open’ status group. By contrast, the backward classes in India form an aggregate of ‘closed’ status groups; they belong to these groups by birth, not because of their individual economic characteristics.

Backward status is ascribed on the basis of birth to certain castes. Hence, for all practical purposes the term backward class is used for backward castes, while the Constitution recognises special provisions for advancement of any socially and economically backward class.

Mandal Commission’s recommendation for reservation of 27 per cent Government jobs for backward classes has also been accepted by the Supreme Court of India and caste has been accepted as the basis for identifying the beneficiaries of reservation. Of course Supreme Court has ordered that the creamy layer has to be excluded from reservation.