The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal to extend the reservation of Schedule Castes (SC) and Schedule Tribes (ST) in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for another 10 years, sources said.
The current reservation provision was set to expire on January 25, 2020.
The move was set in motion after a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) top brass, sources had informed earlier.
According to the Ministry of Law and Justice, Article 334 of the Constitution lays down that the provisions of the Constitution relating to the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and the representation of the Anglo-Indian community by nomination in the Lok Sabha and in the Legislative Assemblies of the states shall cease to have effect on the expiration of a period of thirty years from the commencement of the Constitution.
Although the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes have made considerable progress in the last thirty years, the reasons which weighed with the Constituent Assembly in making provisions with regard to the aforesaid reservation of seats and nomination of members, have not ceased to exist.
It was therefore proposed to continue the reservation for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and the representation of Anglo-Indians by the nomination for a further period of ten years.
( With inputs from ANI )