Bhubaneswar: The Assembly, on the last day of the Monsoon Session Thursday, passed a resolution to urge the Centre for conducting a caste-based census to enumerate the Other Backward Class (OBC) population.
SC & ST Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Minister Jagannath Saraka moved the resolution which was passed in the absence of opposition BJP and Congress members.
Saraka said the population of SC and ST is 22.5 per cent and 16.25 per cent of the entire population of Odisha while the OBC/SEBC population occupies a major share in the remaining population.
As per existing reservation policy of the state government, he said, there is 22.5 per cent reservation for SC, 16.25 per cent for ST and 11.25 per cent for SEBC people to keep the ceiling within 50 per cent, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s direction.
“The reservation for SEBC is not proportionate to their population. As a result, they are deprived of getting suitable reservation in government jobs and other facilities,” he said.
Various institutions including Odisha Administrative Tribunal, Orissa High Court and Supreme Court had quashed state reservation policy due to lack of a detailed scientific database, Saraka said.
Based on the resolution of the State Cabinet, the Odisha Chief Secretary, in January 2020, had intimated the Cabinet Secretary for considering the proposal for conducting Census for SEBC and OBC category population in General Census of 2021.
However, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner India had rejected the proposal on the ground that the collection of data of OBC/SEBC/other castes will adversely affect integrity of Census exercise, he said.
He appealed to all the members of the House to unanimously resolve to ask the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes to urge on Union government to raise the reservation cap above 50 per cent in order to accommodate reservation for OBC population and conduct a caste-based census to enumerate the OBC population. The resolution was supported by the treasury bench members only and was passed by Speaker SN Patro.
13 Bills passed in Monsoon Session
The Monsoon Session of the state Assembly which began September 1 ended Thursday as per schedule. The session saw passage of 13 Bills.
After tabling of several reports including four CAG reports and passing of a resolution, Speaker SN Patro announced completion of the session.
The eight-day session was stormy as the members of the treasury bench and opposition locked horns over drought-like situation in some parts of the state, law & order situation, corruption in Odisha State Staff Selection Commission and mining scam.
During the eight days, the House passed 13 Bills including the much-awaited Odisha Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Odisha Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021 to keep the overall reservation in the local bodies within 50 percent. The House also passed two resolutions during the session.
Out of 718 starred questions, only 16 were answered in the House during the session. The House discussed three adjournment motions and another special motion on drought. As many as 10 annual reports, three committee reports, one ordinance, 61 other papers have been tabled in the Assembly during the eight days.