Saturday, June 10, 2006
Govt not to review reservation policy: Chidambaram
NEW DELHI: The Government, which has proposed expanding quotas for OBCs in higher education, has not yet established the basis for arriving at the decision and also has no plans to review the country's caste-based reservation policy, says Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Though the Centre has plenty of time to reply to the Supreme Court's queries on reservation, including its rationale, the lack of a clear basis casts doubts on the fairness of the government's decision to expand quotas.
"The Ministry has to put together all the material available to it reach the conclusion of 27 per cent... The material will be put together. Wait for the material," Chidambaram said in an interview to 'Devil's Advocate' to be telecast on a news channel on Sunday night.
The court, on May 29, gave the Centre eights weeks to reply to a series of queries on reservations.
When repeatedly asked that his answer suggested the government had announced a decision in favour of reservations without evaluating the need, he said, "The government will answer in a proper forum, in the Parliament, in the Supreme Court (but) not in an interview."
He, however, said the government would compile its answers on the basis of various state reports of Other Backward Classes (OBC) numbers, the Mandal report and the NSSO surveys.
Though the Centre has plenty of time to reply to the Supreme Court's queries on reservation, including its rationale, the lack of a clear basis casts doubts on the fairness of the government's decision to expand quotas.
"The Ministry has to put together all the material available to it reach the conclusion of 27 per cent... The material will be put together. Wait for the material," Chidambaram said in an interview to 'Devil's Advocate' to be telecast on a news channel on Sunday night.
The court, on May 29, gave the Centre eights weeks to reply to a series of queries on reservations.
When repeatedly asked that his answer suggested the government had announced a decision in favour of reservations without evaluating the need, he said, "The government will answer in a proper forum, in the Parliament, in the Supreme Court (but) not in an interview."
He, however, said the government would compile its answers on the basis of various state reports of Other Backward Classes (OBC) numbers, the Mandal report and the NSSO surveys.
