Maharashtra Council passes Bills providing for OBC quota in local bodies
Mumbai Dec 24 PTI The Maharashtra Legislative Council on Friday cleared two Bills which provide 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes OBC in urban and rural local bodies in the stateEarlier the state government had issued ordinances which gave reservation to OBCs in local bodies The ordinances were later stayed by the Supreme CourtRural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif tabled the Bills which had been cleared by the Legislative Assembly on ThursdayAs a result of the stay granted by the apex court there would have been virtually no reservation for OBCs in coming local body pollsThe opposition BJP and ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance had blamed each other for failing to secure quota for these communitiesOn September 23 the state promulgated an ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act 1961 and Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act for Zilla Parishads Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayats to ensure up to 27 per cent quota for OBC candidatesThe ordinance was issued after the apex court struck down a legal provision that granted similar reservation on the ground that it exceeded the 50 per cent ceiling on quotaOn October 1 the state promulgated a second ordinance to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act and Maharashtra Municipal Councils Nagar Panchayats and the Industrial Townships ActThese three Acts govern urban local bodiesThe Bills amend these Acts so that there is 27 per cent quota for OBCs in the forthcoming electionsDuring a discussion the BJPs Parinay Phuke said This is a political bill and not meant for addressing the issues of OBCs The government has not given enough funds to OBC Commission for gathering empirical data which the SC had sought The Bills were passed unanimously They will now be sent to Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari for approval PTI ND KRK KRK KRK
Mumbai Dec 24 PTI The Maharashtra Legislative Council on Friday cleared two Bills which provide 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes OBC in urban and rural local bodies in the stateEarlier the state government had issued ordinances which gave reservation to OBCs in local bodies The ordinances were later stayed by the Supreme CourtRural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif tabled the Bills which had been cleared by the Legislative Assembly on ThursdayAs a result of the stay granted by the apex court there would have been virtually no reservation for OBCs in coming local body pollsThe opposition BJP and ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance had blamed each other for failing to secure quota for these communitiesOn September 23 the state promulgated an ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act 1961 and Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act for Zilla Parishads Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayats to ensure up to 27 per cent quota for OBC candidatesThe ordinance was issued after the apex court struck down a legal provision that granted similar reservation on the ground that it exceeded the 50 per cent ceiling on quotaOn October 1 the state promulgated a second ordinance to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act and Maharashtra Municipal Councils Nagar Panchayats and the Industrial Townships ActThese three Acts govern urban local bodiesThe Bills amend these Acts so that there is 27 per cent quota for OBCs in the forthcoming electionsDuring a discussion the BJPs Parinay Phuke said This is a political bill and not meant for addressing the issues of OBCs The government has not given enough funds to OBC Commission for gathering empirical data which the SC had sought The Bills were passed unanimously They will now be sent to Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari for approval PTI ND KRK KRK KRK
