The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a six-month extension till May 31 next year for the commission examining the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes in the Central list. This is the fourth extension of term given to the commission, which was formed in October last year and is headed by retired judge G Rohini, PTI reported.
President Ram Nath Kovind had approved the formation of the commission, which was directed to scrutinise the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among castes or communities in the central list of the OBCs. The commission’s mandate included creating a mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters for sub-categorisation within such OBCs, as well as identifying castes, sub-castes and communities and classifying them into respective sub-categories.
In August, the Cabinet had extended the five-member panel’s term till November 31.
“Based on the emanating information from the data as processed and analysed, the commission has expressed that a round of discussion with the states and their backward classes commission was required before finalising the sub-categorised lists and the report,” the statement said.
The panel members have held meetings with state governments, state backward classes commissions, community associations and general public. They have also obtained caste-wise data of OBCs admitted in higher educational institution, and similar information on recruits in central government departments, central public sector undertakings, public sector banks and financial institutions.
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