New Delhi: Amid rising demand for extension of job reservations for economically backward among upper castes, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has said that it can include economically weaker sections in the OBC list noting like caste, occupation is also an indicator of backwardness.
According to a Times of India report, NCBC Chairman Justice V Eswaraiah said the Supreme Court's Indira Sawhney judgment on Mandal Commission had observed that government should consider methods other than caste for identifying the backward classes. He said occupation-cum-income could be one such option.
While indicating the commission may advice government to bring ‘poor upper caste' under quota ambit, he said,” If there is a person involved in rickshaw-pulling for years, he is an OBC."
According to Eswaraiah, the Socio-Economic Caste Census provides a critical tool in deciding new categories for reservations since the survey gives a comprehensive status of a household's economic status, occupation and caste.
Now, the view of the NCBC -- the statutory authority for inclusion and exclusion from OBC list -- is a major leg-up for the simmering demand.
Lately, the political class has also been pushing for reservations with SP chief Mayawati favouring separate quota for poor upper castes demand in her Constitution Day speech in Rajya Sabha last week. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already indicated its support for affirmative action for the economically backward among upper castes.
In September, the Rajasthan assembly passed separate bills providing for five per cent reservation to Gujjars and other communities under Special Backward Classes (SBC) and for 14 per cent quota to economically backward Classes (EBC) of unreserved categories.
