The Samajika Nyaya Abhijan (SNA), an Odisha-based forum comprising of different political parties and social organisations, urged the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes, to put his weight behind the inclusion of a caste-based census in the forthcoming national Census.
“Accurate socio-economic data gathered through such an initiative [caste census] will enable better-informed policymaking, equitable resource distribution, and the development of targeted welfare programmes,” the SNA told Ganesh Singh, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee.
A memorandum submitted by a forum says the OBC and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) face the gross injustice in the State.
“Despite comprising 54% of Odisha’s population, these communities face glaring inequities in access to education and employment opportunities,” the members of SNA said.
“The OBC in Odisha receive 0% reservation in education. The memorandum requests the committee to direct the state government to revise its reservation policies and immediately implement 27% reservation for OBC/SEBC in education to ensure equity and inclusivity,” it said.
According to forum, in the case of employment, Odisha implemented a 27% reservation for OBC/SEBC in 1994 and this continued until 2007, when the Odisha High Court dismissed a writ petition, upholding the Odisha Tribunal’s 1998 judgment that nullified the provision.
“Since then, the reservation percentage has been drastically reduced to 11.25% in jobs. A Special Leave Petition (SLP) regarding this matter is still pending before the Supreme Court,” the SNA members informed the committee chairperson.
Akshay Kumar Malik, coordinator of SNA, said, “We have urged the committee to ask the State government to approach the Supreme Court, highlighting Odisha’s unique demographic of 40% SC-ST population, which is 15% higher than the national SC-ST population, qualifying it as an exceptional circumstance to surpass the 50% reservation cap as ruled by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney case.”
Mr. Malik was accompanied by Arun Sahoo (Biju Janata Dal MLA-Nayagarh), Sanghamitra Jena (AISF), and Chidananada Jena.
Published – January 16, 2025 11:08 pm IST
