NCBC Approves Addition Of 80 More Castes To Central List Of OBCs In Six States

Approximately 80 more castes from six different states are expected to be included in the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the near future. Reportedly, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) is currently processing the approval for most of them, as per Hansraj Gangaram Ahir in his statement to The Hindu.

Last week, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) released a report declaring that the government had successfully added 16 communities to the Central list of OBCs in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, facilitated under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

The potential new additions to the Central list of OBCs include communities from Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.

The Telangana government has requested the inclusion of about 40 communities that are currently listed under the State OBC list to be added to the Central list. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has requested the addition of the Turup Kapu community, and Himachal Pradesh has requested for the Majhra community to be added.

These requests are part of the Procedure for Addition prescribed in the NCBC Act, 1993, which mandates the Commission to examine and process such proposals adequately before sending recommendations to the Cabinet.

The Maharashtra government has also requested the inclusion of the Lodhi, Lingayat, Bhoyar Pawar, and Jhandse communities in the State to the Central list of OBCs. Similarly, Punjab has asked for the Yadav community's addition, and Haryana has requested the Gosai/Gosain community to be added. These proposals will also undergo the standardized Procedure for Addition before getting approved.

According to Ahir, the Commission has started to process the requests adequately, and most of them are expected to be approved after examination. Once the Commission reaches a decision, they can send the recommendation to the Cabinet for further action.

The Procedure for Addition mandates the Commission to constitute a Bench to examine such proposals and then forward their decision to the Union government with dissent, where applicable. The Cabinet needs to approve the additions and bring legislation to this effect, following which the President will notify the change.

Currently, there are more than 2,650 different communities listed in the Central OBC list for all States and Union Territories. This includes 16 communities that were added since 2014.

The Union government also highlighted its recent move to bring the 105th Amendment to the Constitution, which reaffirmed the rights of States to maintain their own OBC lists. This move effectively saved 671 State OBC communities from being deprived of benefits.

Unlike with the process for adding communities to the SC or ST list, additions to the Central OBC list do not require the concurrence of other authorities or the Office of the Registrar General of India. The Commission is solely responsible for the Central OBC list's additions and updates.

The Commission follows its established guidelines for the inclusion of new entrants in the Central OBC list. These guidelines take into account a variety of social, educational, and economic indicators, proposed by the Mandal Commission in 1979.