Union Cabinet approves extension of SC/ST reservation in Lok Sabha, state assemblies for 10 years

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to extend reservation for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for 10 years, but is learnt to have done away with a similar quota for the Anglo-Indian community.

The reservation for these categories in the Lok Sabha and assemblies was to expire on January 25, 2020.

The government will bring a Bill to extend the reservation till January 25, 2030 in the ongoing winter session.

Sources aware of the provisions said the reservation for members of the Anglo-Indian community has been done away with "for the time being".

The government was of the view, the sources said, that the community is doing well and does not need reservation in the legislature.

If need be, the reservation can be reconsidered later.

When asked whether reservation for the Anglo-Indian community has also been extended, Union minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters that once the Bill is introduced, the details will be known.

The minister said there are 84 members from the Scheduled Caste and 47 from the Scheduled Tribe communities in Parliament.

In state assemblies across India, there are 614 SC members and 554 ST members.

As on today, there is a provision to nominate two members of the Anglo-Indian community in the Lok Sabha but they have not yet been nominated, according to Lok Sabha website.

Including the Speaker, Lok Sabha has 543 members as on December 4.

While reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the legislature is carried out through constitutional amendments, similar reservation in jobs for these categories is decided by respective state governments, a senior functionary explained.