Bihar Assembly Approves Hike In Reservation To 65%

Bihar assembly has approved a hike in quotas for SCs, STs and backward classes from 50 to 65 per cent.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Bihar assembly on Thursday approved a hike in reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Extremely Backward Classes, and Other Backward Classes from 50 to 65 per cent.

Addressing the House on the occasion, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, "now reservations will be 75 per cent, including 10 per cent for economically weaker sections which the Centre introduced a few years ago and we, too, implemented in the state".

Earlier on Tuesday evening, the Bihar cabinet had cleared the proposal to increase the reservations in the state.

As per the Bills, the quota for STs will be doubled, from one to two per cent, while for SCs it will be raised from 16 per cent to 20 per cent.

For EBCs, the quota will be 25 per cent, up from 18 per cent, while for the OBCs it will rise from 12 per cent to 15 per cent.

Kumar said, "the rise in quotas in Bihar follows the caste survey which was conducted after a consensus was reached among all the nine parties which have representation in this House".

The development came after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar proposed to increase the quota from 60 per cent (including 10 per cent to EWS) to 75 per cent.

"The 50% (reservation) should be increased to at least 65%. The upper caste has 10% already (EWS). So 65 and 10 make 75%. The remaining would be 25%. Earlier, 40% was free now it would be 25%. The reservation for backward class and extreme backward class, ST-SC should be done 65% instead of 50%, this is my proposal," Kumar had said in the Bihar Assembly.

As per the Bihar caste survey, the government tabled the full report on the economic condition of 215 Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, and Extremely Backward Classes. Reading out the report, Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said that around 42% of the members from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, 33% from backward classes, and 25% from the general castes in Bihar are poor.

As per the survey, 34.1% of the state's households are poor, earning less than Rs 6,000 a month, the Nitish Kumar-led government told the assembly on Tuesday. The caste survey further revealed that more than 50 lakh Biharis live outside the state for livelihood or education.