Highlights | 10 per cent quota for economically weaker section in upper castes cleared by Lok Sabha

In a major political gamble ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Narendra Modi government on Tuesday tabled a Constitutional amendment bill in the Lok Sabha in order to implement the 10 per cent reservation in jobs and education for the economically backward in upper castes (general category). The bill, which was tabled in the Lower House by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot, will now be taken up for discussion in the House. The Narendra Modi Cabinet on Monday had approved 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions for the economically weak in the general category. However, the reservation to the economically weaker sections of the general castes can be given only after a constitutional amendment as the proposed legislation will exceed the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent quota cap for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Other Backward Castes (OBCs). The reservation for economically backward in general category will be over and above the existing 50 pc reservation.

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