New Delhi: A new roadmap for providing
reservation to socially and educationally backward minorities
under OBC category in central services could be on the anvil
with the government completing consultations on the issue.
Home Minister P Chidambaram had recently called all
concerned with the implementation of the recommendations of
the Ranganath Mishra Committee report on minorities where the
Minority Affairs Ministry has given its final view.
"Consultations are over. Home Minister (P Chidambaram)
called all of us together for a final view. We have given the
final view. The Home Minister will now in due course take it
forward. There is a sense of urgency," Minority Affairs
Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters here.
Asked about his Ministry's view on the matter, he said
he cannot sum up the recommendations but noted, "We believe
the OBC element of affirmative action must be rationalised and
fine tuned in the manner in which it is being done in Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kartnataka."
He said the UPA government was committed on the issue
though it has not taken a final view on it.
"We are very clear about the objective. That is being
recommended by the committee, we are absolutely committed to
it," he said.
However, he added that they were looking into the
models in operation in the four southern states as there are
differences in the model adopted by them. He also pointed out
that there were some cases in courts regarding providing
reservation to minorities.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, July 07, 2011, 18:52