27 OBC quota may include reservation for backward class Muslims

Union Minister of State Independent charge for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid on Thursday said reservation to Backward Classes of Muslims within 27 per cent OBC quota is under consideration of the government. In a written response,to an un-starred question from Karimnagar MP P Prabhakar,on whether the government has any proposal to amend the Constitution to provide reservation to the minority communities,Khurshid said: Providing reservation to Backward Classes of Muslims minority community within 27 per cent OBC quota is under active consideration of the government. He,however,said there was no move to amend the Constitution.

In response to another un-starred question,of BSP MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq,on whether the government had issued any guidelines to employment exchanges regarding employment to minorities in view of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee,Khurshid,said: The Prime Ministers new 15-point programme for the welfare of minorities provides for giving special consideration to minority communities in recruitment of police personnel,Central police forces,Railways,nationlised banks and public sector enterprises,and for this purpose,the composition of selection committees should be representative.

He cited a Department of Personnel amp; Training DoPT Office Memorandum,dated January 8,2007,which says that in order to make these selection committees representative,it should be mandatory to have one member belonging to SC/ST and one member belonging to minority community in selection boards/committees for making recruitment to 10 or more vacancies.