Maharashtra govt mulling to raise OBC non-creamy layer cap to Rs 15 lakh
Mumbai, May 19
In a move aimed at widening the safety net for the Other Backward Classes, the Maharashtra government's Cabinet Sub-Committee on OBC Welfare on Tuesday recommended raising the non-creamy layer income ceiling from the current Rs 8 lakh to Rs 15 lakh per annum.
The decision was taken during a high-level sub-committee meeting chaired by the State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
The panel announced that a decisive meeting will soon be held with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to finalise and implement this recommendation.
The sub-committee also revealed that a formal proposal has been submitted to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), urging the inclusion of 43 new castes from Maharashtra into the Central government's official OBC list.
The meeting was attended by prominent state Ministers, including Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil, Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod, and OBC Welfare Minister Atul Save, alongside top bureaucrats.
The panel reviewed several critical policy matters and issued various directives.
While special camps are currently being organised across the state to distribute caste certificates, Minister Bawankule emphasised that a meeting with District Collectors will be held next week.
He stressed that certificates must only be issued to genuine and eligible applicants, and strict protocols must be enforced to prevent any wrongful issuance.
The state will conduct a dedicated review meeting next week to clear hurdles and secure land parcels across 10 districts for the construction of OBC student hostels and departmental offices.
In alignment with the Bombay High Court directives, instructions were given to fast-track the resolution of pending cases with the Caste Scrutiny Committee, streamline educational concessions for OBC students, and expedite appointments to various state corporations, the statement issued by Minister Bawankule's office said.
Prominent OBC activist Laxman Hake, who was a special invitee at the meeting, highlighted critical administrative lapses.
He said that structural spelling mistakes in official documents have deprived nearly 27 to 32 communities of government benefits.
The committee promised to send an expedited proposal to the Central government to rectify these spelling anomalies immediately.
The government sources said that the demand for Rs 15 Lakh has been a long-standing one across various states.
Proponents say that due to inflation, rising cost of living, and salary hikes (such as those from the 7th Pay Commission), many middle-class salaried families cross the Rs 8 lakh threshold but still cannot afford quality private education or compete on equal footing without state support.
Raising the limit to Rs 15 lakh would bring a massive chunk of the middle-class OBC population back into the ambit of reservation benefits.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some good news for OBCs! My father earns 9 lakh as a government teacher and we were just above the cut-off. Couldn't get any reservation benefits even for my brother's engineering college. This change will help so many genuine middle-class families who are neither rich nor poor. 👏
What about the 43 new castes being added? That's the real story. Many communities have been waiting decades for OBC status. Hope the NCBC processes this quickly and doesn't get caught in bureaucratic red tape. Also, fixing those spelling mistakes that have been blocking benefits for 30 communities - how does that even happen?! 🤦
I'm not convinced this is the right approach. The creamy layer exists for a reason - once a family has stable income, they should make way for others. Rs 15 lakh in Mumbai is still middle-class, but in rural Maharashtra it's quite comfortable. Maybe we need a cost-of-living indexed formula instead of a flat number?
Delighted that OBC hostels are finally getting attention. When I was studying in Nagpur, finding affordable accommodation was such a struggle for students from rural backgrounds. Also, expediting Caste Scrutiny Committee cases is huge - some students wait years for their certificates. Government ko seriously implement karna chahiye! 🏫
Good step but let's not forget - this is an election year promise being fulfilled. The real test will be implementation. How many years did it take for previous OBC welfare announcements to actually reach people? Still, credit where due - raising the cap was a long-standing
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