Express News Service
PATNA: On a day the much-awaited caste survey report was tabled in the Bihar Assembly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced his intention to hike the quota cap for the SC/STs and OBCs, including the extremely backward classes (EBCs), from the Supreme Court-mandated 50% to 65%.
The decision was based on empirical evidence from the caste survey, which put the SC/ ST population at a little over 21% and that of OBCs plus EBCs at 63%. With Nitish quantifying the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in Bihar at 10%, the total quota count will reach 75%.
After the announcement, Nitish chaired a cabinet meeting, which approved four proposals, including hike in reservation in government jobs and educational institutes. A bill to hike the quota will be introduced in the Assembly on November 9. It will propose raising the SC quota to 20%, STs 2%, OBCs 18%, EBCs 25% and EWS 10%.
According to the survey, the monthly income of Bihar’s 34.13% families is just Rs 6,000. The number of families in the Rs 6,000-10,000 income bracket is 29.61%. In other words, the number of families with an income of up to Rs 10,000 per month is more than 63%. In all, 94 lakh families have a monthly income of Rs 6,000 or less.
The Nitish government is planning to provide Rs 2 lakh each to these poor families to take up some sort of economically productive work. The pro-poor assistance would entail an additional burden of Rs 2.51 lakh crore on the exchequer, Nitish said. Within the SC/ST population, 42.93% of SC families and 42.72% of STs are poor. Similarly, 33.16% of the OBCs and 33.58% EBC families are poor.
In the general category, the survey found a higher percentage of poor people — 25.32% families as against 23.72% from other castes. Of the poor in the general category, 27.58% are Bhumihars, 25.3% Brahmins, 24.89% Rajputs and 13.83% Kayashthas. Among Muslims, 25.84% of Sheikhs, 22.2% Pathans (Khan) and 17.61% Sayyids are poor. Only 7% people of Bihar are graduates while 22.67% students are in classes I to V and 9.19% in classes XI and XII.
Inflated data claim bogus, says Nitish
In an apparent response to Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent allegation at a rally in Muzaffarpur district, Nitish said, “Some say figures of particular communities have been inflated, to the detriment of other castes. These are bogus allegations and must be avoided.”
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The decision was based on empirical evidence from the caste survey, which put the SC/ ST population at a little over 21% and that of OBCs plus EBCs at 63%. With Nitish quantifying the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in Bihar at 10%, the total quota count will reach 75%.
After the announcement, Nitish chaired a cabinet meeting, which approved four proposals, including hike in reservation in government jobs and educational institutes. A bill to hike the quota will be introduced in the Assembly on November 9. It will propose raising the SC quota to 20%, STs 2%, OBCs 18%, EBCs 25% and EWS 10%.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
According to the survey, the monthly income of Bihar’s 34.13% families is just Rs 6,000. The number of families in the Rs 6,000-10,000 income bracket is 29.61%. In other words, the number of families with an income of up to Rs 10,000 per month is more than 63%. In all, 94 lakh families have a monthly income of Rs 6,000 or less.
The Nitish government is planning to provide Rs 2 lakh each to these poor families to take up some sort of economically productive work. The pro-poor assistance would entail an additional burden of Rs 2.51 lakh crore on the exchequer, Nitish said. Within the SC/ST population, 42.93% of SC families and 42.72% of STs are poor. Similarly, 33.16% of the OBCs and 33.58% EBC families are poor.
In the general category, the survey found a higher percentage of poor people — 25.32% families as against 23.72% from other castes. Of the poor in the general category, 27.58% are Bhumihars, 25.3% Brahmins, 24.89% Rajputs and 13.83% Kayashthas. Among Muslims, 25.84% of Sheikhs, 22.2% Pathans (Khan) and 17.61% Sayyids are poor. Only 7% people of Bihar are graduates while 22.67% students are in classes I to V and 9.19% in classes XI and XII.
Inflated data claim bogus, says Nitish
In an apparent response to Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent allegation at a rally in Muzaffarpur district, Nitish said, “Some say figures of particular communities have been inflated, to the detriment of other castes. These are bogus allegations and must be avoided.” Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp