President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday appointed a commission to examine the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to ensure that the more backward among the communities can access the benefits of reservation.
The five-member panel will be headed by retired Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court G. Rohini.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said in a statement, “Sub-categorisation of the OBCs will ensure that the more backward among the OBC communities can also access the benefits of reservation for educational institutions and government jobs.”
The decision, taken on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, reinforces, in the spirit of his teachings, the government’s efforts to achieve greater social justice and inclusion for all, and specifically members of the OBC, the statement added.
The Joint Secretary in the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment will be its secretary. J.K. Bajaj would be its member, while the Director of the Anthropological Survey of India and the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner are ex-officio members.
Terms of reference
The terms of reference of the commission are to “examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the castes or communities included in the broad category of OBC with reference to such classes included in the Central list; to work out the mechanism for sub- categorisation.”
