Latest news with #BackwardClasses
India Gazette
16 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Congress corners BJP over delay in implementation of 27 per cent OBC reservation in Madhya Pradesh
New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): Congress on Saturday cornered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh for its wilful delay in providing 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) despite the passing of the concerned legislation and clearing of the same by the courts. The party demanded the immediate implementation of 27 per cent reservations for OBCs in Madhya Pradesh, as it has been categorically cleared by the Supreme Court. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, senior party leaders, including former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Madhya Pradesh Congress in-charge Harish Chaudhary, MP PCC president Jitu Patwari and AICC OBC Department Chairman Anil JaiHind alleged that the BJP was revealing its anti-reservation and anti-backwards classes mindset by deliberately delaying the reservation benefits to the OBCs. Harish Chaudhary stated that it was the Congress government that originally provided 14 per cent reservation to the OBCs in 1994. Later, in 2003, again, it was the Congress government that raised the quota to 27 per cent. However, after the elections, the BJP government was formed, and it never implemented the decision. He stated that after 16 years, when the Congress government was formed in 2019 under the leadership of Kamal Nath, it introduced an ordinance providing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs. However, the BJP challenged it in court, which then directed that a law be enacted on the matter. 'We subsequently got the bill passed in the Assembly.' He added that as the BJP formed the government again, it did not implement the OBC reservation bill. Chaudhary stated that the High Court dismissed the pleas against the 27 per cent reservations, and the BJP government subsequently approached the Supreme Court. He noted that the Supreme Court also upheld it and issued a notice to the MP government on June 25, inquiring why the 27 per cent reservation benefit for OBCs was not being implemented. Bhupesh Baghel, while accusing the BJP of having an anti-reservation mindset, disclosed that the Congress government in Chhattisgarh had unanimously passed a law in December 2022 to provide 27 per cent reservation to OBCs. However, the bill is yet to get the nod of the Governor. He said this is because the BJP does not want to provide 27 per cent reservations to the OBCs. He seconded Chaudhary's stand that not only will the Congress fight the issue legally, but it will also raise it publicly to build pressure on the BJP government to implement it. Jitu Patwari said that it was strange that Prime Minister Modi claims himself to be an OBC, and yet he was not providing the OBC community its rightful due. He said the OBC Chief Ministers of MP belonging to the BJP, like Uma Bharti, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Mohan Yadav, have all betrayed their community. Anil JaiHind maintained that the BJP and the RSS have always been against the reservation. Citing an example, he said the law on reservation for Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis in private educational institutions has been deliberately delayed by the BJP government since 2014. (ANI)
Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
From failure to future: Bengaluru NGO helps hundreds of schoolchildren clear supplementary exams
Written by Mehak Singh When 17-year-old Ghousia failed her Class 10 exams, she thought it marked the end of her academic journey. A daughter of a welder from Tumkur, Ghousia had failed in three subjects—math, science, and Kannada. But four weeks later, she walked out of her supplementary exams with a passing certificate, renewed hope, and a plan for her future. Ghousia passed with 52 per cent marks and is now exploring careers in software or clerical work—paths that once felt out of her reach—all thanks to an initiative by the Active Bengaluru Foundation. The Class 10 pass percentage declined this year in Karnataka, reaching only 65 per cent; among the marginalised sections, only 52 per cent passed the exams. In response to this dip, the NGO launched Mission No Dropout, a city-wide coaching effort to prepare students, especially those from BPL (below poverty line) and OBC (Other Backward Classes) backgrounds, for their supplementary exams. Within a matter of days, the organisation mobilised over 22 coaching centres across Bengaluru, reaching nearly 150 schools and enrolling over 1,100 students. 'We saw students failing by just five to seven marks, most commonly in math and science. If they didn't clear the supplementary, many would drop out entirely and start working odd jobs,' says Syed Tousif Masood, volunteer & founding member of the Active Bengaluru Foundation. 'So we put together a targeted 'passing package' with daily coaching sessions and personalised mentoring.' For many students, this initiative was life-changing. But the initiative did not end at just clearing exams. To truly ensure these students do not fall through the cracks again, the Active Bengaluru Foundation organised the Baazigar Awards on June 22—a felicitation and career guidance event for the newly passed students. Over 200 students attended the ceremony, held to honour those who have battled the odds, not just topped the charts. Career counselling sessions were held for students to choose alternative and skill-based career paths. 'We know not every student can or will go the Class 12-and-degree route,' said Masood. 'So we're helping them explore options that are both affordable and immediately employable.' The initiative has already seen early signs of success—between 450 and 500 students cleared the first supplementary round. The organisation remains optimistic about raising the success rates in the years to come. For those who may still fall short, the NGO has launched a dedicated helpline (9364024365), guiding them to enrol in vocational and skill development courses. 'No student should feel abandoned because of one failed exam,' says Masood. (Mehak Singh is an intern with
NDTV
17-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Calcutta High Court Pauses Bengal OBC Reservation Notifications
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered an interim stay on notifications issued by the West Bengal government with regard to reservations to 140 subsections under OBC-A and OBC-B categories made by it. A division bench comprising justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha, in an interim stay till July 31, directed that executive notifications between May 8 and June 13 with regard to Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories made by the state government will not be given effect to till that date. The court directed that all consequential acts thereof will also remain stayed till July 31. All the parties in the matter were directed by the court to file their affidavits in the meantime on their contentions with regard to the challenge over new benchmark surveys for the purpose of inclusion under OBC categories in a PIL and the notifications. The state government has included 49 subsections under the OBC-A and 91 under the OBC-B categories vide the executive notifications. It has been stated that while more backward sections of people have been included under OBC-A, the less backward people come under OBC-B. The Calcutta High Court had in May 2024 struck down the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal granted since 2010, finding such reservations to vacancies in services and posts in the state are illegal. The court struck down 77 classes of reservation given between April 2010 and September 2010, and 37 classes were created based on the state's Reservation Act of 2012. This order was challenged before the Supreme Court by the West Bengal government and the matter is pending there.
India Gazette
16-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav slams Congress over Karnataka caste survey, calls it 'political cover-up'
New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday accused the Congress-led Karnataka government of misusing public funds and attempting a 'political cover-up' through its re-enumeration of the 2015 caste survey. 'The reason India was considered a fragile economy in 2014 was due to the Congress party's misuse of taxpayers' money through corruption and broke their trust. They must answer how Rs 165 crore was spent when Congress itself is now questioning the accuracy of that data. Who will take responsibility for that expenditure? Either they were simply travelling, as they often do,' said Yadav. 'Congress is repeating its old patterns, and we demand accountability for Karnataka's costly exercise. Their re-survey is nothing more than a political cover-up,' said Yadav. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav also accused the Congress party, accusing it of consistently betraying the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and reducing social justice to a mere political slogan. 'The OBC community has always been betrayed by the Congress. If the Congress had genuine intent, it would have formed a new commission after scrapping the Kaka Kalelkar Commission... Instead, they dismissed the commission's report and continued to rule... Later, when the Mandal Commission was constituted and the Supreme Court upheld its legality, the Congress worked to weaken the OBC Commission,' 'Congress has never stood with the poor, OBCs, or SC/ST communities. Their history shows a pattern of neglect. Even now, their actions in Karnataka expose their hypocrisy -- Rahul Gandhi calls the state an ideal model, yet the timing and contradictions around the caste survey re-enumeration prove that social justice is just a showpiece for them,' he added. Yadav also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for addressing the long-standing issue of reservations in admissions to central schools and credited the Modi government's economic initiatives with lifting crores of people out of poverty. 'Misleading the OBC community has been Congress's policy; delivering justice to them has never been their intent,' Yadav said, reiterating the BJP's commitment to inclusive welfare and empowerment. This comes after Siddaramaiah earlier said that they accepted the suggestion made by top Congress leadership to re-enumerate the case census data. 'Discussions were held regarding the caste census as concerns were raised by some organisations, religious heads, and even a few ministers. The report submitted on the caste census has been accepted in principle. There is an agreement that a caste enumeration should be conducted. We have also agreed to this,' he said. (ANI)
India Gazette
16-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Review petition filed in SC against verdict on 3-year practice rule for judicial service
ANI 16 Jun 2025, 17:48 GMT+10 New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): A review petition has been filed before the Supreme Court against its recent judgment mandating three years of practice as a lawyer for the entry posts in judicial service (post of Civil Judge-Junior Division). The review petition was filed against the judgment delivered by a bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice K Vinod Chandran on May 20. The top court had also ordered that the requirement of minimum years of practice shall not be applicable in cases where the High Court had already initiated the selection process for the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division) prior to the date of the judgment. Advocate Kunal Yadav filed the review petition stating that fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 16 stand infringed due to the imposition of the condition. He has urged the court to implement the mandatory three-year practice rule only from 2027 to avoid the unjust exclusion of recent graduates (2023-2025) who prepared under the previous eligibility criteria. The plea said that the judgment suffered from apparent errors on the record, warranting a review. It said that direction mandating a minimum of three years of legal practice disproportionately impacts aspirants from economically weaker sections and socially disadvantaged communities, particularly Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). There was no comprehensive data placed before the court to establish that fresh law graduates or candidates without three years of Bar experience are underperforming in judicial roles, said the review petition. (ANI)
