Population-based reservation for oppressed Dalits mooted

MUMBAI, May 26: Social Welfare minister Baban Gholap today said that reservations for Dalits should be based on the population of the partic...

MUMBAI, May 26: Social Welfare minister Baban Gholap today said that reservations for Dalits should be based on the population of the particular backward community instead of the present quota system.

8220;If a particular community has 40 per cent population amongst the Dalits, then there should be 40 per cent reservation for the people belonging to that community. The present system, which provides a certain previously decided share of total reservation for a community, does not make justice to all. Some communities are getting more benefits over others,8221; Gholap said.

He was addressing a press conference at Mantralaya on Tuesday evening along with leaders of Upekshit Dalit Vyaaspith, an organisation working for oppressed amongst backward communities.

The minister accused the bureaucracy of inaction in removing the backlog of jobs for Dalits in government and semi-government institutions. 8220;They the bureaucrats just do not want to fill the vacant posts reserved for dalits. I have noticed in three yearsof my tenure in the government as minister that many more Dalits will get employment if these officers seriously look at their problems,8221; the minister said.

Gholap he would meet Chief Minister Manohar Joshi on these matters on concern for the oppressed Dalits. Among other things, Gholap pressed for State Government to provide capital for co-operative institutions of oppressed Dalits in 1:9 proportion. He also mooted constituencies in co-operative societies with population more than one lakh members on the lines of reserved constituencies in local self governments.

A separate financial corporation be set for development of the Mehtar community statewide. The number of reserved constituencies of the state legislature and that of the Parliament be increased in accordance with the increased population of oppressed Dalits including neo-buddhists.

Gholap further informed that a one-day camp had been decided upon to discuss the problems of members of three oppressed Dalit communities namely Mehtar, Charmakaarand Matang on June 19, 1998 at Shivaji Park. He informed that about 20,000 oppressed from across the state would attend the camp.