Bhopal: ‘Income-Tax payers won’t get upper caste quota benefit’

Bhopal: ‘Income-Tax payers won’t get upper caste quota benefit’

Staff ReporterUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 03:26 AM IST
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Bhopal: PM Modi’s announcement to provide reservation of 10% to people from general category in jobs and education institutions earning up to Rs 8 lakh per annum has started a new discussion. Interestingly, the committee on whose recommendation the decision was taken had recommended that income tax payers would get the benefit.

Commission for Economically Backward Classes formed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to study about providing reservation for general category had recommended that the benefit should be given only to non tax payers.
Talking exclusively to Free Press, Chairman of the committee, Major General (Retd) SR Sinho said that the committee in its report had recommended that the benefit should not be given to income tax payers.

This report was submitted in 2010 and income tax was applicable on annual income above Rs 1.60 lakh then. Sinho said that the committee found out that 72% of the poor belonging to general class was present in 9 states including Madhya Pradesh. Other states are West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Assam and Bihar.

Going by population figures that the commission picked from study made in 2004, total population of people belonging to general class stood at 31.5 crore out of which 5.58 crore people were identified as poor. Following lines of the Union Government, the MP government under Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also then formed a commission called, Aarthik Picchda Varg Ayog (Economically Backward Class Commission) headed by minister Paras Jain. Ironically the commission formed by MP didn’t prove successful in the state.

Major Sinho said that the people belonging to general class may not be backward socially but they were found lagging behind economically. “They should be provided technical training and provided with skill development so that their chances increase in getting employment,” said Sinho. Facilities like medical insurance too should be given to them.

Other noteworthy recommendations made by the commission include constituting an economically backward class commission and national finance and development corporation. There should be commission to monitor the implementation of commission’s recommendations and its impact on lives of poor, said Sinho.

First commission to look into reservation for general class was formed in 1991 when Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister. Later another commission was formed again in 2004 during Congress led UPA regime. The commission headed by Major Sinho was formed in 2006 – during UPA’s tenure. The commission submitted its report in 2010. It took almost 10 years for a government to take decision on its recommendation.

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