Politics

Maharashtra Government Proposes 10% Quota for Marathas in Education and Jobs

The Backward Classes Commission report and the draft bill based on it were approved by the Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday, opening the door for Maratha reservation legislation. Today, the state assembly will hear a bill that would set aside 10% of employment and educational opportunities for Marathas. This is the state’s third attempt in ten years to propose legislation that will provide Maratha community quota benefits. The decision to call a special session was brought about by Manoj Jarange Patil, a Maratha quota activist who is now on a hunger strike.

The idea is based on the results of the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes (MSCBC), which indicated that 28% of Maharashtra’s population is Maratha. The Maratha community, the paper claims, is subject to “exceptional and extraordinary conditions” of backwardness, which justifies reservations over and beyond the 50% maximum required for quotas.

Giving Tamil Nadu as an example, which has gone beyond the 50% quota cap set by the 1993 Indra Sawhney decision by implementing a 69% reservation, the bill underscores the urgency of addressing Maratha representation. To assess the backwardness of the Maratha group, the MSCBC surveyed more than 1.58 lakh families in the state. The commission, led by retired judge Sunil Shukre, gave Chief Minister Eknath Shinde the findings early on Friday.

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Speaking before a joint session of the state legislature’s two houses on Tuesday, Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais reiterated the state’s dedication to the welfare of Marathi-speaking residents of Karnataka’s border regions and to put programs in place that will help them in the areas of health care, education, and other areas. Bais emphasized Maharashtra’s noteworthy contributions to the national GDP, which amounts to 14.2%, and its leadership in drawing foreign direct investment (FDI), amounting to an impressive number of 65,500 crores, which accounts for 48.73 percent of all FDI inflows into India.