 "Bhupesh Baghel")
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel sent a letter to Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, requesting him to give an appointment to meet the delegation of the OBC Mahasabha and the State Backward Classes Welfare Association.
CM Baghel wrote the letter as the associations have sought to meet the Governor via the Chief Minister.
In the letter, Baghel said that during the OBC Mahasammelan in Raipur on August 27, the Chhattisgarh OBC Mahasabha and the backward classes welfare association had told him they wanted to meet the Governor regarding their pending demands.
On Sunday, the association members met Baghel and placed their demand in the context of benefits to the OBC category in pending public welfare schemes.
The associations said they want to implement 27 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBCs) reservation at the earliest.
In 2012, the Raman Singh government revised the reservation formula, allocating 32 per cent for Scheduled Tribes (STs), 12 per cent for Scheduled Castes (SCs), and 14 per cent for OBC, bringing the overall reservation to 58 per cent.
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However, in 2022, the High Court in 2022 set aside the order, asserting that any reservation exceeding 50 per cent is unconstitutional. Following this, the matter was appealed to the Supreme Court.
In December 2022, the Baghel government passed two bills in the state Assembly, with the aim to increase the reservation for OBCs to 27 per cent, STs to 32 per cent, SCs to 13 per cent, and economically weaker sections (EWS) to four per cent. This meant that the total reservation in the state would reach 76 per cent.
The bills were sent to the then Governor of Chhattisgarh, Anusuiya Uikey, for her approval. However, she has not yet granted her assent.
In May 2023, the Supreme Court issued an interim order staying the High Court's decision. This allowed the state to reinstate the reservation for government jobs and educational institutions to 58 per cent — 32 per cent for STs, 12 per cent for SCs, and 14 per cent for OBCs.
