Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 22: After a long wait of 22 years, the State Government has contemplated a process for conducting the census of people belonging to Other Backward Communities (OBCs) in the State to grant them the benefit of reservations as per the Mandal Commission recommendations.
According to highly placed sources, the step was taken after the persistent demand of the OBCs in the State who have been fighting for the implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations in the State at par with other States of the country.
Sources said before implementation of Mandal Commission, the Government has decided to hold census of the population of OBCs in the State and in this regard the Ministry of Social Welfare has constituted a Committee with Secretary Social Welfare as its Chairman.
The Committee has Director Social Welfare and renowned Professors as its members. The Committee has been asked to furnish its report as early as possible, sources added.
Sources said that without ascertaining the total population of the OBCs, the Government was not in a position to determine the quantum of reservation to be given to the people belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the State hence it has constituted a Committee for getting the census conducted.
Sources said in 1931 only caste based census was held in the State but the figures of the total OBC population were not available with the Government as no census has been ever conducted in this regard.
Sources said that Government has decided to hire a private agency for conducting the survey and it will be completed by January 31 next year.
Sources said that the Government of late has admitted that delay in implementing the Mandal Commission was an injustice with the OBCs of the State as neither the Mandal Commission recommendations have been implemented over these years nor these people were given any interim relief in lieu of that till date.
This has forced the Government to start the process even 22 years after the implementation of the Mandal report in other parts of the country, sources added.
It may be recalled that J&K is the only State out of 28 States in the country where the Mandal Commission recommendations fixing 49.5 percent quota to reserved categories have not been implemented. This has generated a lot of resentment among the OBCs of the State who have been fighting for the cause over the years.
However the All India Backward Classes Union (AIBCU) which is spearheading the movement in this regard in the State still has doubts on the intensions of the Government saying that when in last 22 years it could not conduct the census of OBCs population how can it do the same in four months time now.
President of the organization Abdul Majid Malik while expressing apprehensions over the Government’s intensions said that holding of census would be another delaying tactics. “There are remote chances that the recommendations of Mandal Commission will be implemented during the present tenure of coalition Government as the Assembly elections are due ending next year,” he added.
He demanded that till the implementation of the recommendations the Government should announce an interim relief for OBCs of the State who have a sizable number of population.
He said the demand was taken up by the Union leaders with interlocutors and other Central Government teams visiting the State from time to time to ascertain the problems of different sections of the people here.
“The OBCs are facing a grave injustice in the State,” said Prof Kali Dass, general secretary of the Union. He said the OBCs in the State are given two type of certificates one is for applying jobs in Central Government services and another in the State Government services.
While in Central Government services the reservations are given on the basis of Mandal report, but the people belonging to OBCs have to apply for renewal of income certificates every year in that case also which is a cumbersome and time consuming process, he added.
Prof Dass said out of 49.5 percent reservations granted to various categories all over the country as per the Mandal Commission report SC get 15 percent, ST 7.5 percent and OBCs 27 percent quota. But in comparison to that in J&K, the SCs get eight percent, STs 10 percent, Rural; Backward Area (RBA) gets 20 percent reservation, Actual Line of Control (ALC) three percent and Other Social Caste (OSC) gets two percent quota.
He said no quota is given on the name of OBCs in the State as is case in other parts of the country and in J&K OBCs nomenclature has been changed to OSC. Under this category two percent quota is given and not 27 percent as is case with other parts of country, he added.
However, Minister of Social Welfare Sakina Ittoo told Excelsior that the Government is fully aware of the problems of OBCs and many steps were already taken to ameliorate their lot. She said the Government has constituted an Advisory Board for them to redress their problems and regarding the implementation of Mandal report the exercise of holding the census of OBC population has been set in the process, she added.
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