THE NATIONAL Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) appears to be on a collision course with the Bihar government over the latter's inability to share data it sought on reservation, largely in educational institutions and state services, for OBC, EBC and SC/ST categories. In reply to the panel's demand last month for a power-point presentation on reservation status, Bihar General Administration Department's under secretary Sirajuddin Ansari has written to NCBC Chairman Bhagwal Lal Sahni's private secretary Dinesh Kumar, saying “due provisions” have been made in government departments as well as institutions. However, the reply does not share the data the NCBC had sought. “We humbly submit that there has been due provision for reservation for SC/ST, EBC and OBC women candidates in various government departments and institutions. Later, EWS quota was also added. Reservation provisions are made under state services and educational institutions are only for SC/ST, OBC and EBC women. Hence, we face problems in giving power-point presentation on OBC and EBC reservation,” said Ansari's reply, dated July 16. NCBC chairman Sahni will be traveling to Bihar this week to conduct a state-wide review of its state government's functions regarding compliance of reservation in its various departments. In a related development, the NCBC has summoned the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) Chairman and Bihar Education Secretary on August 2 in New Delhi to explain why it had not published the waiting list of reserved candidates during announcement of the recent BPSC examination results. The panel has warned: “.in case you fail to attend the hearing, the commission is at liberty to exercise the powers of civil court under clause (8) of article 338B of the Constitution of India for enforcing your attendance before the commission.”
