BJD MPs From Odisha Meet Union Home Minister, Seek Central Law For Increasing Quota Ceiling

Bhubaneswar: A delegation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs on Wednesday sought a Central legislation for increasing the ceiling of reservation at a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The delegation, which held the meeting with Shah at his Parliament Chamber, submitted a memorandum on their demands.

The BJD MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rahya Sabha demanded a Central law for increasing the reservation beyond 50% ceiling to enable the states to change their reservation policy accordingly.

They wanted the Centre to include identification and enumeration of the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) and other backward classes/castes (OBCs) in the General Census to be conducted in 2021.

The MPs said due to unavailability of reliable and authentic data about exact number of SEBC and OBC population, the states were unable to take up focussed planning for the welfare of these communities.

They further said since the legislations of most of the states on reservation policy have been struck down by the High Courts and Supreme Court, it is imperative to include appropriate columns in the census format for identification of the population of SEBC and OBC communities.

The Union Minister appreciated the concern of the MPs for increasing the reservation ceiling.