Ashok Gehlot Announces 6% Additional Reservation For Most Backward Castes Ahead Of Rajasthan Assembly Elections

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday (9 August) announced that the state government will implement a six percent reservation for the Most Backward Castes within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

This new provision will be in addition to the existing 21 percent reservation already allocated to the OBCs.

Gehlot stated that the OBC commission will conduct a comprehensive survey to identify the specific castes that fall under the category of Most Backward Castes within the OBCs. The commission will then promptly submit its findings.

Through this initiative, the aim is to create more opportunities for education and government employment for the most backward castes, as mentioned in the X post by the Chief Minister.

Furthermore, Gehlot acknowledged that various organizations representing Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) have been advocating for reservations based on population. The government is currently evaluating these demands.

Regarding the Economic Weaker Sections (EWS) category, the Chief Minister highlighted that the Rajasthan government has removed the requirement of owning immovable property for availing the 10 percent reservation allocated to this group. This adjustment ensures that the benefits of reservation are accessible to this category without hindrance.

Currently, the state offers a reservation of 16 per cent to SCs, 12 per cent to STs, 21 per cent to OBCs, 10 per cent to EWS, and 5 per cent to MBCs. After increasing the reservation for OBC to 27 per cent, the total reservation in Rajasthan will become 70 per cent.

Earlier yesterday, Gehlot said in his address at Mangarh Dham in Banswara on World Tribal Day, "When Rahul Gandhi said that there should be a caste-based census, a message spread across the entire country. According to your sentiments, we will initiate a caste-based census in Rajasthan. Everyone will receive their rightful share based on their caste. We want to promote this kind of thinking."

Assembly elections in Rajasthan will be held later this year and Congress is trying to retain power on the basis of the Gehlot government's welfare schemes.