Chhattisgarh Doubles OBC Quota from 14 Percent to 17 Percent; Reservation Total Now 22% Over Ceiling

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel on Thursday announced an increase in reservations for OBCs and Scheduled Castes in state government jobs and education.

While the quota for the Scheduled Castes will increase by one percent, the OBC reservations will see a near doubling from 14 per cent to 27 per cent.

Addressing people at an Independence Day function in Raipur on Thursday, Baghel said the STs, SCs and OBCs have been raising issues about their rights in a peaceful manner and it is the government's duty to protect their constitutional rights.

"Taking a major step in this direction, today I announce that now 27 per cent reservation will be provided to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 13 per cent to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 32 per cent to the Scheduled Tribes (STs)," he said.

Till now, the OBCs and SCs were getting 14 per cent and 12 per cent reservation, respectively, in educational institutions and government jobs in the state, while the STs had 32 per cent quota, an official said.

In another big move, the Chief Minister also announced the creation of a new district — Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi — out of Bilaspur, taking the total number of districts in the state to 28.

The chief minister also announced that the government will be developing the Lemru forest area in Korba district as an elephant reserve to deal with the increasing man-animal conflicts in the state's northern part."The state has witnessed loss of life and property due to the movement of elephants. One of the key reasons for the menace is that elephants are facing threats to their habitat. In view of this, we will set up the 'Lemru Elephant Reserve'," he said.

The elephant reserve will be the "first of its kind in the world" and provide a permanent habitat to the pachyderms, Baghel said.

Moreover, an assistance of Rs 10,000 per month will now also be provided to the 'gowthan' (cow shelter) committees to provide honorarium to herdsman and other facilities at the cow shelters.

(With PTI inputs)