HYDERABAD: Even as the Centre has carved out 10% reservation for upper castes on economic backwardness, a new study has found that nearly 40% of all Other Backward Classes ( OBC ) have taken no quota at least in past three to five years despite being eligible for it since 1993.The Commission to Examine Sub-categorisation of OBCs in its first consultation paper released in October 2018 has said 983 of 2,633 OBC communities have received no share of the benefits of reservations.The commission collected data on admissions during the last three years in central educational institutions including IITs, NITs, IIM, AIIMS and central universities, including the law universities. Analysis of recruitment during the last five year in railways, department of posts, police forces, major central public enterprises, public sector banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions also yielded similar results. The civil services and central secretariat services were also covered.“The Commission checked over one lakh records of admissions in the Central Educational Institutions under the OBC quota and also 1.3 lakh records of similar recruitment in the services and organisations under the Centre. No community listed in any of these 983 entries finds any representation,” the consultation paper noted.Although the commission has steered clear of giving specific reason for the communities not availing reservation, experts point to many of them having a nomadic lifestyle with very low literacy rates.‘Only 15 percent Backward Classes avail quota benefits’Justice V Easwaraiah, former chairman of the National Commission for Backward Classes, said, “Although the Centre provides 27% reservation to OBCs, only 15% avail of the benefits for various reasons, including income ceiling limit, education and social conditions. Many of them belong to nomadic groups.” The Centre had appointed the commission on Oct 2, 2017, mainly to examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the castes or communities included in the OBC category. Headed by former chief justice of Delhi High Court , Justice G Rohini, it was also asked to work out the mechanisms, criteria, norms and parameters for sub-categorisation. “In Telangana , only 7% to 11% BC communities have secured admission and jobs under reservation in two and half decades. This could be due to lack of knowledge about central institutions,” BS Ramulu, chief of state commission for BCs told TOI.

Stay updated with all the Hyderabad Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.