Hyderabad, November 15:Since there was a lack of consensus among various States in identifying the ‘creamy layer’ in backward castes, there was need for comprehensive debate on OBC issue, opined Mr Syed Azeez Pasha, CPI deputy floor leader of Rajya Sabha.
Mr Pasha was speaking at the All-India OBCs Meet, organised by All India State Bank of Hyderabad OBCs Employees Welfare Association here on Sunday. He felt that the issue should have been debated in Parliament after considering various recommendations put forth by the ‘Nachiappan Committee’ in 2005. But unfortunately the Center had put the responsibility of identifying the OBCs on the shoulders of the State governments, he added.
Even before the BC Commission could get a ‘statutory position’, the issue was involved in controversies. “There is need for proper discretion on identifying the creamy layer among BCs”, Mr Pasha reiterated.
He pointed that even though the government was providing reservations to BCs in some form in the public sector, there was a need to guarantee employment to them in private sector. The government could follow the example of USA, where ‘blacks’ are being encouraged into private jobs on ‘incentive’ basis.
“There is a sizeable portion of 52 percent BCs in India, where some four thousand castes are identified by the government and to overcome the societal imbalances, the government has to deliver justice”, he said.
Mr Pasha assured the delegates that he would take up the issue in the next Parliament session, starting from November 19.
The president of National Union of Backward Classes, Mr K Jayaprasad noted that since the concept of ‘creamy layer’ was only implemented for BCs, it was high time the Central government reconsidered it or increased the income level to at least Rs 5 lakh. He demanded the government to make a clear distinction between BCs and OBCs, to make the implementation of various policies much easier, including promotions of BC candidates in various PSUs. (NSS)