Dharmendra reiterates request for OBC quota in Odisha

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, March 4 : Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday reiterated his request to the Odisha government to implement reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs and educational institutions, and for Socially Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) in educational institutions in the state.
“I had written letters to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking reservations for OBCs in government jobs and educational institutions and for SEBCs in educational institutions in Odisha. However, my request for 27 per cent reservation for socially and economically backward classes in government jobs and educational institutions in Odisha has remained unaddressed till date,” Pradhan told Odisha media in New Delhi.
Notably, the state government is set to begin a survey of backward classes based on the social and educational status.
“The current move for enumeration of SEBCs comes across as a dichotomous and dilatory step trying to mask the extant policies of the Odisha government denying reservations for OBCs and SEBCs categories,” he added.
He further said that the state government has access to its own SEBC list as well as OBC list of the Centre, which can be used for providing appropriate reservations in the field of education.
The Minister said backward classes constitute a considerable portion of the total population of Odisha.