Nitish pioneers: Bill to increase reservation limit to 75 pc in government services passed in Bihar Assembly
Patna, Nov 9 : Within two days of proposing to increase the reservation limit to 75 percent in government services in Bihar, a related bill was unanimously passed in the Assembly on Thursday.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while speaking in the house during the debate on Bihar Amendment Bill 2023 for Reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs against vacancies in government services, said that the bill was brought on the basis of findings of socio-economic caste survey conducted by state government recently.
Two days earlier, he had proposed for a new reservation formula in government services in the light of report of caste survey, which was unanimously approved in the house, Kumar added.
Nitish said that an all-party delegation had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2021, to request him for conducting national level caste census but it was not accepted. Thereafter, a decision was taken by Bihar government to conduct caste survey from its own resources.
The Chief Minister said that representatives of nine parties were part of all-party delegation who had called on Modi. A meeting of representatives of all these nine parties was also held to discuss what could be done on the basis of findings of caste survey report, he added.
Kumar said that there was complete unanimity among all parties in the house for caste survey and also the new reservation formula proposed by his government in the house two days back. As per provision in the bill, SCs would be given 20 percent reservation, STs would get two percent reservation, while Other Backward Classes would get 43 percent reservation in government services, he said, adding that poor among upper castes would continue to get ten percent reservation as earlier while 25 percent posts would remain available for unreserved category.
If needed, he would be pleased to increase the reservation limit for those who lagged behind on path of development, he noted.
Nitish said that he would request again the Centre to conduct national level caste census. Bihar government had decided to launch schemes for those economically deprived on the basis of socio-economic caste survey, he said.
“A total amount of Rs 2.5 lakh crores would be needed to bear the expenses to execute the schemes proposed by state government for economically deprived, as per findings of socio economic caste survey report”, Kumar said, adding that Rs 50,000 Crores would be spent every year to complete these schemes in next five years.
He reiterated his demand for a special status to Bihar.
Chief Minister requested members of all parties in the house to pass the bill unanimously.
Thereafter, the Assembly passed the bill unanimously relating to new reservation formula in government services.
Later, the house also passed the bill relating to same reservation formula in admission in state government educational institutions, as proposed in government services to various categories.
