Reservation Amendment Bill passed unanimously in Bihar Assembly

The reservation bills tabled by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government in Bihar assembly seeking to raise the caste reservation to 65 per cent has been unanimously passed through voice votes on Friday, November 9. 

The bills have provisions for 18% quota for backward classes (BCs), 25% for extremely backward classes (EBCs), 20% for scheduled castes (SCs) and 2% for scheduled tribes (STs) in all educational institutions and to fill the vacancies in government jobs. The hike in reservation is in accordance with the findings of the caste survey held in the state, said the chief minister. 

With the passage of the bill, the existing 50 per cent reservation will be increased to 65 per cent, thus putting 75 per cent of total seats under the reserved category. As there is a 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category also in place. 

Bihar (Enrollment in Educational Institutions) Reservation Amendment Bill, 2023 and Bihar Reservation in vacancies in Posts and Services (for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Amendment Bill, 2023 will be tabled ahead of the Bihar legislative assembly on the last day of the ongoing winter session. The bills were earlier approved by the Bihar cabinet on Tuesday. 

Nitish Kumar has asserted that the reservation provisions are being revised to grant representation to every community as per their population in the state, as reflected in the results of caste-based survey conducted by the Bihar government. Taking the pitch forward, the Opposition parties have pitched for a pan-India caste-based survey, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi suggesting that the country's policies and economies must be based on castes. 

While the INDI alliance members have pushed for a caste survey, the Bharatiya Janata Party has argued that the Opposition wishes to create a divide in the society on the basis of caste lines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself stated that he only recognises one caste which is poor, suggesting that the government is bound to uplift the poor section of Indian society. 

(This is a developing story. More details awaited)