The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a six-month extension in the tenure of the commission to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBC), which had been appointed in 2017 with the initial deadline of 12 weeks.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a proposal to extend the commission’s term till July 31.
The Cabinet also approved an addition to the commission’s terms of reference.
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The commission will now also “study the various entries in the Central list of OBCs and recommend correction of any repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies and errors of spelling or transcription”, a statement said.
The commission had been appointed to look into the existing list of OBCs and categorise the OBCs that have not benefited from the reservations in government jobs and education.
It is also expected to give its recommendations to ensure that these marginalised communities get the benefits of various schemes.
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The commission, headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice G. Rohini, was constituted on October 2, 2017. “The commission has come to the view that it would require some more time to submit its report since the repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies and errors of spelling or transcription etc., appearing in the existing Central list of OBCs need to be cleared. Hence the commission has sought extension of its term by six months, that is up to July 31, 2020 and also addition in its existing terms of reference,” a government statement said.