Announcing the decision after a cabinet meet, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said creation of the special category was based on the report and recommendations of the state commission for backward classes. The commission was set up in 2016 in the wake of growing Maratha demands for a quota.
Asked about the Maratha Kranti Morcha’s demand for 16% quota for the community, CM Fadnavis said, “The committee will finalise the percentage of quota.” A senior official said the community would most probably get a 15% quota as the commission had stated that Marathas, minus the Kunabi community, account for around 30% of the state’s population.
The commission has made only three recommendations, beginning with the declaration that the Maratha community could be declared as socially and educationally backward class as their representation in the state government and semi-government jobs and offices is inadequate.
Secondly, as per the constitutional provision, the community is eligible to take benefit of reservation after declaring them socially and educationally backward class,” said Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. The third recommendation concerns crossing the 50% limit for reservation set by the Supreme Court. “The commission said that state government can take an appropriate decision about reservation to be given to the Maratha community beyond the limit of 50% as the community is declared socially and educationally backward and eligible for reservation,” Fadnavis said.
The state can go beyond 50 % of the reservation quota in extraordinary and exceptional cases, he added.
from Times of India https://ift.tt/2DsnPfj
