M A I N   N E W S

Haryana nod to 10% quota for economically backward
Tribune News service

Reservation 67% Any family with a consolidated income of Rs 2.5 lakh and below would qualify as a beneficiary for the reservation Anybody availing reservation in any other category would not be eligible for reservation in this category With this, reservation in Haryana has gone up to 67%

Chandigarh, January 23
After granting 10 per cent reservation to five “special backward classes” — including the Jats — last month, the Haryana Cabinet today gave its nod to 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker section of the General Category. Any family with a consolidated income of Rs 2.5 lakh and below would qualify as a beneficiary for this reservation.

With this, reservation in Haryana has moved up to 67 per cent (20 per cent for SCs and 27 per cent for OBCs which totals to 47 per cent and 10 per cent “exclusive” reservation to the Bishnois, Rors, Tyagis and Jat Sikhs).

While the Cabinet, accepting the recommendations of the Haryana Backward Classes Commission in principle, had agreed to a 10 per cent reservation to five castes including the Jats last month, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had said a notification for the same would be issued once the blueprint for beneficiaries of the economically weaker section of the General Category is finalised. A cabinet sub-committee headed by Finance Minister HS Chatha had been constituted during the same meeting. It was asked to consider the recommendations of the Backward Classes Commission in respect of reservation for economically backward persons in General Category and to suggest specific programmes for the economic uplift of special Backward Classes, as suggested by the commission.

Hooda, today, announced that the Council of Ministers, which met under his chairmanship, had accepted the recommendations of the Cabinet sub-committee on reservation for economically backward persons in General Category in the state.

Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, he said the reservation for economically backward classes of 10 per cent would be vertical and not horizontal, meaning thereby that anybody availing himself of reservation in any other category would not be eligible for reservation in this category.

As per this criteria, ‘Family’ for the purposes of the applicant seeking reservation as ‘economically backward’ is defined as Head of Family and his or her spouse; unmarried sons or unmarried daughters; applicant and his or her spouse; dependant parents or dependent children; unmarried dependant brothers or unmarried dependant sisters; and any other person dependant on head of the family or applicant.

A family with Rs.2.50 lakh per annum shall be gross income of the family that is income from all sources including agriculture income. In case any person in the family is income­ tax or wealth tax payee, benefit of reservation would not be extended.

The applicant or family should not be in Class I or Class II services of the Government of India or State Government level or equivalent or hold any equivalent post in any statutory Board/Corporation/University/Society/Trust or an equivalent position in any public or private limited company or in any international organisation. Family shall be deemed to be in service as mentioned above when a person in family has superannuated and or has sought voluntary retirement or has been dismissed or terminated or compulsory retired from such service. In case, the family is engaged in a profession as doctor, lawyer, chartered accountant, income tax consultant, financial or management consultant, engineer, architect, computer specialist, film or TV artist, play write, author, model, media personnel or holds any elected or appointed office either under the Constitution or in terms of any statute out of which emolument or salary is paid, criteria of income shall be applicable.

The family, as described above, should not be employed in any military or paramilitary services with the Union of India in the rank of second lieutenant or above in the Army or any equivalent rank in other forces or paramilitary forces.