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Background
- OBCs have 27% reservation in Central Govt jobs.
- OBCs consist of hundreds of different castes with varying degrees of marginalisation.
- Caste enumeration and sub-categorisation of OBCs have always been controversial topics.
Definition of OBCs
- OBC refers to marginalized communities and castes that are not SCs or STs.
- Caste-based social backwardness in India led to other forms of backwardness.
- Affirmative action for OBCs is supported by Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution.
Diversity Among OBCs:
- OBCs are typically identified by their occupation.
- There are various levels of marginalisation within the OBCs, mainly divided into landowners and non-landowners.
- There’s a growing sentiment that dominant OBCs are monopolising the benefits of the 27% reservation.
Recent Caste Survey in Bihar:
- As per the recent survey, 27% of Bihar’s population is “backward” and 36% is “Extremely Backward Classes” (EBCs).
- Historical attempts at categorising castes in Bihar has faced legal challenges.
- The current Bihar OBC reservation system might change based on the recent caste survey’s findings.
State-level OBC Subcategories
- Various states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh have their own systems of sub-categorising OBCs based on different criteria.
OBC Commissions:
- First OBC Commission (Kaka Kalelkar): Identified 2,399 backward castes with 837 as “most backward”. Its recommendations were never implemented.
- Second OBC Commission (B P Mandal): Recognized 3,743 castes as OBCs and recommended 27% reservation without subcategories. This was implemented by the central government.
Recent Attempt at Subcategorisation at Central Level ( Justice G Rohini Commission):
- Ahead of the 2014 elections, discussions about subcategorisation of OBCs surfaced.
- A new commission for subcategorisation of OBCs was formed under Justice G Rohini in 2017, and its report was submitted in July, 2023, though the contents remain private.
Why in News:
- The recent caste survey in Bihar reignited the possibility of other states conducting similar surveys, especially with upcoming elections.
