More Castes Added to the Central OBC List

On 22nd July 2010, the Union cabinet of India on recommendation of National Commission for backward classes, approved the inclusion of more castes and amendment to the names of the castes and communities in the Central OBC list from the states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and the Union territory of Daman and Diu. The cabinet also approved the inclusion of the Adrakhi Mahato caste from Bihar.

NCBC also approved the proposal to include the Goda caste of Uttar Pradesh in the central list of OBC for the state.

Inclusion of these communities in the central list of OBCs could provide them reservation benefits in central government services and central education institutes thus contributing to the goal of equity and inclusiveness.

The new addition is likely to be made public after the ministry of social justice and empowerment issues a notification in this regard. This would be the first time that a central list of OBCs will be notified for Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

The approval by the Union cabinet can address the Naxal problem in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand.