The government decision to set up a new commission for backward classes with constitutional status fulfils the long standing demand of the community, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said today.
"Like the SC and ST Commissions have the constitutional validity, this BC Commission should also be provided the constitutional validity. This demand is there since long ago," said an official statement quoting Dattatreya.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision to establish the Commission.
The Union Cabinet yesterday gave the go ahead for setting up a National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (NCSEBC) with constitutional status, bowing to the demand from OBCs for an entity for them which is on par with the panels for SCs and STs.
The Cabinet had also cleared a proposal for dissolving the National Commission for Backward Classes and repealing the law under which it was established.
National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) was a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment established on August 14, 1993.
Its duties included receiving representations from the persons belonging to backward classes on various issues like discrimination faced by them, non-implementation of reservation rules by authorities etc.
It was, however, not empowered to look into the grievances of people of Other Backward Classes. Under Article 338(5) read with Article 338(10) of the Constitution, National Commission for Scheduled Castes is the competent authority to look into all the grievances, rights and safeguards relating to Backward Classes.
The Bill to provide constitutional status to the body will be introduced in Parliament.
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