Cabinet approves expanding OBC list
The Union cabinet on Wednesday gave the nod for inclusion of more castes in the Central list of Other Backward Classes in 20 states and Union Territories including Karnataka, enabling the people belonging to those castes receive benefits of reservation in jobs and education.
It is learnt that the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended amending the OBC list through inclusion of more than 70 castes in around 20 states and UTs including poll- bound Uttarakhand and Goa, where elections are due next year.
A government statement, however, did not give details. It said the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment would make amendments in the Central lists of OBCs in respect of these States and UTs. The new list belongs to: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Delhi and Puducherry.
