Gujarat: Congress tables bill seeking reservation of economically backward class

The Gujarat Economically Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in the state and of Appointments and Posts in Services Under the State) Bill 2016 seeks to cover the poorest of the poor who are currently untouched by the reservation quotas for SC/ST/OBCs.

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In wake of the “extraordinary circumstances that have developed in the state during the past one year”, the Bill while hinting at the Patidar agitation seeks reservation for economically backward classes as a supplementary step to the reservations already provided to SC/ST/OBCs.

The Bill that seeks 20 per cent reservation to the economically backward communities in government services was moved in the house by Congress MLAs Shailesh Parmar, Balwantsinh Rajput, Amit Chavda and Dr Tejashreeben Patel.

It also seeks the formation of a “five-member-committee” headed by the state government that will decide the rules and regulations for the reservation. This committee will study various details regarding providing reservation to the economically backward communities without interfering with the prevailing 49 per cent reservation in the state.