 "OBCs decoded: How backward classes in India were categorised and recognised")
On Tuesday, Andhra Pradesh's backward classes welfare minister, Ch Venu Gopala Krishna, said that the state will begin a backward classes census on November 15.
Earlier this month, the Bihar government released the results of the state's caste survey, which showed that the Other Backward Class (OBC) population in Bihar is at 63.1 per cent.
Who are the OBCs?
A collective term, "OBC", is used to denote castes that are educationally or socially backward.
Action for OBCs is mandated by Article 15(4) of the Constitution, which states that "nothing in this article or in clause (2) of Article 29 [non-discrimination with regard to admission into state educational institutions on grounds of religion, caste, etc.] shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens..."
Article 16(4) allows the state to make "any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services under the State".
More From This Section
In December 1980, the Mandal Commission submitted a report that stated that the population of OBCs, which includes both Hindus and non-Hindus, was around 52 per cent of the total population. The OBCs were determined to be 41 per cent in 2006 when the National Sample Survey Organisation took place.
The OBCs have been generally identified on the basis of their occupation, which includes cultivation of own land, tenant farming, pottery, agriculture labour, cultivation and selling of vegetables, fruits and flowers, oilseeds crushing, cattle-rearing, washing clothes, carpentry, blacksmith, stone-cutting, etc.
What are the OBCs subcategories in various states?
On February 13, 2023, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment asked the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to examine the issue of subcategorisation of OBCs in the central list.
In March 2015, the NCBC, then headed by Justice V Eswaraiah, said that OBCs should be subcategorised into Extremely Backward Classes, More Backward Classes, and Backward Classes.
Over the years, state governments have applied their own criteria to distribute quota benefits among various OBC categories.
Also Read: The Mandal Commission decoded: How OBC reservation came into effect
Also Read: The Mandal Commission decoded: How OBC reservation came into effect
In the state of Andhra Pradesh, OBCs are divided into five subcategories: aboriginal tribes, vimukt jatis, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes; groups such as tappers, weavers, carpenters, ironsmiths, goldsmiths, and; SC converts to Christianity and their progeny; all other OBC castes and communities not covered in the previous three categories; 14 Muslim OBC castes who were identified in 2007.
-Karnataka: 207 OBCs castes are divided into five sub-groups
-Jharkhand: It has two groups: Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and Backward Classes
-West Bengal: The state has 143 OBC castes which are divided into More Backwards and Backwards
-Maharashtra: 21 per cent OBC reservation is shared by the Special Backward Category (2 per cent) and Other Backward Classes (19 per cent)
-Tamil Nadu: 50 per cent OBC quota is divided among Backward Classes (26.5 per cent), Backward Class Muslims (3.5 per cent), and Most Backward Classes/Denotified Community (20 per cent).
-Kerala: 40 per cent OBC reservation is divided into eight subgroups, including Ezhava/Thiyya/Billava (14 per cent) and Muslims (12 per cent).
What are the two OBCs commissions?
Kalelkar Commission:
The Kalelkar Commission, headed by Kaka Kalelkar, was constituted on January 29, 1953, and submitted its report on March 30, 1955. To identify socially and educationally backward classes, the commission adopted several criteria, which included a low social position in the traditional caste hierarchy of Hindu society, lack of general educational advancement among the major section of the caste/ community, inadequate or no representation in government service; and inadequate representation in trade, commerce and industry.
The first OBC Commission made a list of 2,399 backward castes in India and categorised 837 of them as "most backward". Following this, the Kalelkar Commission recommended enumerating castes in the 1961 census, providing 25-40 per cent reservation for government jobs and 70 per cent reservation for admission to technical and professional institutions.
However, the report was never implemented as the government decided that "any all-India list drawn up by the Central Government would have no practical utility".
Mandal Commission
The Mandal Commission, headed by B P Mandal, was announced in December 1978 by then Prime Minister Morarji Desai of the Janata Party and was set up in January 1980.
The Commission identified 3,743 castes and communities as OBCs and estimated their population at 52 per cent. The Commission recommended 27 per cent reservation in government jobs and admissions to all government-run scientific, technical, and professional institutions.
However, no subcategories were recognised within the 27 per cent OBC quota, even though one of the members, L R Naik, said in his dissent that OBCs should be split into intermediate backward classes and depressed backward classes.
The Commission assessed non-Hindus (e.g., Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists) if they were previously from "untouchable" castes or shared occupational names such ad "dhobi", "lohar", "nai", or "teli", etc.
The findings under the Commission's findings indicated that India's population comprised around 16 per cent non-Hindus, 17.5 per cent "forward castes," 44 per cent "other backward classes," and 22.5 per cent SCs and STs. Considering the non-Hindu population included approximately eight per cent of "other backward classes," the total proportion of "other backward classes" (Hindu and non-Hindu) amounted to 52 per cent (44 per cent + 8 per cent) of India's population.