Bhubaneswar, Aug 11 (IANS) A day after passing of a Constitution amendment bill in Lok Sabha to restore the power of States to make their own OBC lists, BJD MPs demanded conduct of caste-based Census for identifying and enumerating the SEBC/OBCs.
A delegation of BJD MPs from both the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his Parliament chamber and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
The MPs in their memorandum said due to non-availability of reliable and authentic data about the exact numbers of the SEBC and OBC it has become an impediment for taking up focused planning for the welfare of these communities.
"It is high time that the Central government frames a legislation in this regard for benefits, welfare and all round upliftment of the SEBC/OBC categories of population after collection of scientific database through General Census 2021 for establishment of compelling reasons, like, backwardness, inadequate representation and overall administrative efficiency," they said.
The MPs requested Shah to consider the proposal for insertion of appropriate columns in the Census format 2021 to get a clear picture regarding socio economic and educational status of SEBC, OBC and other castes for formulation of appropriate policy for their benefits.
They have also demanded to enact a central legislation for increasing the reservation beyond the 50 per cent ceiling for empowerment of States.
In January 2020, the Odisha Cabinet had resolved for conducting socio-economic caste enumeration and the State had requested the Cabinet Secretary for conducting census for SEBC and OBC category in General Census 2021.
However, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner India had rejected the proposal. Following this, the Odisha Assembly had passed a resolution unanimously in this issue and the State has formed a Commission to conduct a survey to understand the socio-economic condition of people belonging to this category and take steps for their welfare.
The Rs. 25-lakh prize money competition, Diamond Cup India 2019, is being organised by the Indian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (IBBFF) from November 15 to 17.
A team of the state's counter-intelligence wing took militants Akashdeep Singh and Shubhdeep Singh to Mahawa village in Amritsar district, where they had hidden the drone in bushes.
Fate was kind to him - initially. The eighth son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and that too from a minor wife, Duleep Singh became Maharaja of the Punjab when he was just five years old.
As the exorbitant prices of onions bring tears to the eyes of Indians, social media has been abuzz with memes highlighting the reactions of common people to the situation.
The Washington Post has hired Indian journalist Rana Ayyub as its latest contributing writer to the Global Opinions section, the Jeff Bezos-owned company announced on Thursday.
