J H Patel to clear quota backlog

BANGALORE, April 13: In a bid to resolve the controversy over reservations in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the K...

BANGALORE, April 13: In a bid to resolve the controversy over reservations in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Karnataka Cabinet has cleared the decks for a one-time settlement of the backlog pending since 1978 by creating supernumerary posts.

Minister for Information and Publicity M P Prakash told newspersons that at the Cabinet8217;s special meeting today, it was decided to limit the reservation benefits for SCs and STs in promotions to 15 and three per cent, respectively, after the filling up of backlog vacancies, in accordance with the Government Order GO of February 3.

Hailing the decision as a landmark one, the minister said 8220;only the J H Patel Government could have taken this decision8221;.

Dalit organisations in the state had been agitating for the withdrawal of the February 3 GO, he added.

Prakash said the decision to clear the backlog was also in accordance with the Supreme Court order of June 24, 1997. It was also decided that the Cabinet sub-committee headed by DeputyChief Minister Siddaramaiah 8212; which probed the issue of reservations for SC/STs acirc;euro;ldquo; would look into the legal and technical ramifications of extending the benefits to Other Backward Castes OBCs. Prakash said a decision in this regard was expected later this month or next month when the cabinet is scheduled to meet again.

Elaborating on today8217;s decision, the minister said regarding Para 5 of the Government Order of February 3, it would be 8220;clarified that reservation in promotions for persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall continue to operate by applying the existing roster to the vacancies till the representation of the persons belonging to SC and ST reaches 15 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively. He added that any provisions of the 1992 GO acirc;euro;ldquo; directing the filling up of the backlog pending since 1978 and subsequently contested before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal but upheld by the Supreme Court acirc;euro;ldquo; which the February Government Order had not taken into account wouldbe reintroduced in accordance with the Supreme Court order.