Bihar assembly on Thursday passed a bill to hike the caste reservation in the state from current 50 per cent to 65 per cent for government jobs and educational institutions.
With the central government’s 10 per cent quota for individuals from Economically Weaker Sections, the total reservation now goes up to 75 per cent. The Supreme Court has capped the state quotas at 50 per cent.
The bill drafted on the basis of the recent caste survey were passed unanimously through voice vote.
"The survey has provided us with a comprehensive data. We will use it to introduce more measures for the uplift of socially, educationally and economically backward sections of society. I will be glad if the Centre, too, agrees to a caste census and hike reservations across the country," Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said in the assembly.
As per the bill, the quota for Scheduled Tribes (STs) has been doubled from one to two per cent while for the Scheduled Castes has been raised from 16 per cent to 20 per cent.
Reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has been hiked from 12 per cent to 15 per cent, while the quota for the Extreme Backward Classes (EBCs) has been increased from 18 per cent to 25 per cent.
Speaking in the Assembly, the chief minister also reiterated his demand for the grant of special status to Bihar.
“Our land was so advanced in ancient times. It stagnated because of historical factors. We need some help to recover our lost glory,” he said.
Nitish proposed amendments to the bills on Tuesday when the caste census report was tabled in the assembly.
As per the report, OBCs, including the extremely backward classes, accounted for a whopping 63 per cent of the state's total population, as per the latest caste survey. SCs and STs together accounted for slightly over 21 per cent.
The survey further revealed that more than a third of families in Bihar were living in poverty, making do with a monthly income of Rs 6,000 or less.
