Dattatreya seeks sub-plan for OBCs

Hyderabad: Former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatraya has sought the intervention of the National Commission for Backward Classes Welfare (NCBCW) for a sub-plan in the budgetary provisions for the OBCs in proportion to their population on a par with the SC and STs.

In a memorandum submitted to the NCBCW Chairman Bhagawan Lal Sahni during his visit to the city here on Monday, the former BJP MP, in his memorandum, cited the social economic and cate Census of 2011, and sought for the sub-categorisation of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs.

He also advocated a separate ministry for the OBCs at the Centre to transform urban slum settlements into colonies with facilities to upgrade the skills of OBC artisans in them. He also highlighted how the TRS government in the State provided 33 per cent reservations during local body election in 2014.

This was despite the Integrated House Hold Survey conducted by the State government during 2014 pegged the State's BC population at 51 per cent and decreased the reservations from 33 per cent to 23 per cent during local body elections in 2019 He said this had resulted in BCs losing a major chunk of their share.

Several BC leaders also met the Commission's Chairman under the aegis of the National BC Welfare Association and submitted a representation seeking its intervention for introducing a BC bill in the parliament to provide 50 per cent reservations in the Assembly and Parliament.

Association president R Krishnaiah said the Commission's intervention was sought for providing reservation in promotions to OBC employees, constitutional sanction to BC reservations in Panchayat Raj and other local body elections, providing reservations to SC, ST, OBCs in the private sector and the higher judiciary.

A separate ministry for OBCs at the Centre, removal of creamy layer to OBCs as the reservations are not for economic development, allocation of Rs 80,000 crore for OBC welfare, special act for OBCs social security on par with SC, ST atrocities act were among the other demands of the Association, he added.