West Bengal to accord job quotas for poor Muslims

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Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said his government had decided to adopt the Ranganath Mishra Commission's recommendations for the betterment of the underprivileged Muslims in the state.

"We have decided to adopt the recommendations and will implement (them). We don't know when the union government will implement the report, but we are doing it in our state," Bhattacharjee told reporters.

"Presently there is only seven percent reservation for the OBCs in our state but with the inclusion of backward minority Muslims this figure will go up to 17 percent.

"The creamy layer, those who have an annual income of Rs.450,000, will not be included in the category," he said.

Bhattacharjee said the state government would form a committee involving the Backward Class Welfare department, Backward Class Welfare Commission, Minority Development Department and Minority Development Commission.

"We will identify the Muslims as early as possible and work out all necessary modalities to implement the committee's suggestions in detail," he said.