Kolkata: The West Bengal government will
within three months bring a Bill in the Assembly for
increasing the reservation for Muslims and for the community`s
development in the state.
The government will take a fresh look at a move in
this direction by the erstwhile Left Front government, which
failed to receive the consent of the Governor, Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee said here today.
"The previous government moved in a hurry and failed
to place it (Bill) in a proper manner. It failed to receive
the consent of the Governor. We shall give it a fresh look and
place a Bill in the Assembly within three months," Banerjee
said, after a discussion with Justice Sachchar.
Former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had
announced 10 per cent reservation in government jobs for
Muslims in the OBC quota in February last year.
"There are some legal complications. Since minority
and OBCs are two separate departments, consent of both are
required to make the Bill comprehensive," Banerjee said.
She was speaking after giving away loans and
scholarships to beneficiaries of the West Bengal Development
and Finance Corporation.
She said steps were being taken to set up an expert
committee to prepare the Bill rectifying the earlier mistakes
and incorporating more provisions.
The LF government had issued a notification
announcing increase of reservation for other backward
classes (OBC) by 10 per cent, raising the quota to 17 per cent
in the state to benefit economically backward Muslims based on
recommendations by the Ranganath Mishra Commission.
PTI
