Maratha Reservation: criteria for backwardness fixed, report to be presented in a month

Pune: The State Backward Classes Commission has finalized the criteria for determining the backwardness of Other Backward Classes (OBC) about giving reservations to the Maratha community in the state. The criteria will be sent to the Gokhale Institute for sample testing and the report is expected in the next week. After the sample testing, a survey will be done and its report will be then presented to the state government. 

Activist Manoj Jarange Patil has repeatedly warned the government to grant the reservation to Marathas under the OBC category. Thus the government had asked the SBC to work on a war footing. For social backwardness, seven criteria have been determined and 100 points have been allotted. For educational criteria, six criteria have been allotted 80 points, and for economic criteria, six criteria have been allotted 70 points, making a total of 250 points.

Social Criteria (100 points)

Caste/traditional occupation/handicraft/employment: 20 points
Women engaged in light work for livelihood (more than 5% of the state's average): 20 points
Men engaged in light work for livelihood (more than 5% of the state's average): 20 points
Unfavorable social and cultural environment for development: 10 points
Child marriage takes place (more than 5% of the state's average for men and more than 10% for women): 10 points
Superstitious practices and beliefs are found: 10 points
Practices that denigrate the status of women are exercised: 10 points

Economic Criteria (70 points)

families below the poverty line (more than 25% of families in the state): 20 points
30% percent of people living in kutcha houses which is declared so according to Grampanchayat: 10 points
Percentage of marginal landholding families (more than 10% of state average): 10 points
Percentage of landless families (more than 10% of state's average): 10 points
Lack of educational institutions, industrial establishments, or other sources of employment: 10 points
Percentage of families with outstanding consumption loans (more than 25% than the state average): 10 points

Educational Criteria (80 points)

Percentage of students studying from Class 1 to 10 (less than 10% of the national average): 10 points
Dropout rate of girls from Class 1 to 10 (20% more than state average): 20 points
Percentage of students passing Class 10 (20% less than state average): 10 points
Percentage of students passing Class 12 (20% less than state average): 10 points
Percentage of students pursuing graduation, post-graduation, or equivalent education (10% less than state average): 10 points
Percentage of students pursuing professional courses such as law, medicine, engineering-technology, chartered accountancy, management, and doctoral studies (20% less than the state average): 20 points

Survey to be conducted by the Gokhale Institute, Pune
The institute will submit its report to the commission within a week.  They will take the help of government officials in the state and the work will be finished in 15-20 days.  The commission will then prepare a final report based on the institute's report and submit it to the state government.

Chandralal Meshram, a member of the MBCC, said that the survey will be conducted based on the criteria set by the commission. He added that the report will be submitted to the state government within a month.