Maharashtra Government announces special assistance of Rs 500 crore for OBC community

The state government of Maharashtra has announced a special assistance worth Rs 500 crore for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community in the state.

With the move, the state government reaffirmed its commitment to retaining OBC quotas in jobs and rejected reports that Maratha community may be included in the OBC category for reservation purpose.

The announcement was made by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while addressing the 3rd National Convention of National OBC Association in Mumbai.

Key Highlights

• The main objective behind the special assistance is to help the OBC community develop employment opportunities for the youth.

• Besides, the state government plans to assess the extent of representation given to OBCs in jobs and take steps to address the backlog, in a time-bound manner.

• The government has also earmarked funds for the construction of hostels for OBC students in 19 districts of the state.

• The state government has also recommended to the Centre that the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, be conferred posthumously to the 19th-century social reformer Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule, who was a pioneer of women’s education.

Background

The people belonging to the OBC community constitute 52 percent of Maharashtra’s population.

However, when it comes to reservation, currently the OBC community enjoys 17 percent reservation in the state.

On the other hand, the politically dominant Maratha community, which constitutes 30 percent of the state’s population, has been demanding 16 percent reservation in jobs and educational institutes.

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