Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. (FIle Photo)
The Haryana Assembly Wednesday passed a Bill to bifurcate 20 per cent seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) in higher educational institutions of the state.
Among Dalits, the government has identified a new category called ‘deprived Scheduled Castes’, comprising 36 castes including Valmiki, Bazigar, Sansi, Deha, Dhanak and Sapera. The other category has been identified as ‘Scheduled Castes after sub-classification of reservation for SCs’. The provision of reservation will be applicable for graduation and post-graduation courses.
“Fifty per cent of the 20 per cent seats reserved for SCs for administration in any government educational institution shall be set aside for candidates belonging to deprived Scheduled Castes,” said the Haryana Scheduled Castes (reservation in administration in government educational institutions) Bill, 2020. “Where a seat set aside for a candidate from deprived Scheduled Castes in government educational institutions is not filled up in any academic year due to non-availability of such a candidate possessing the requisite qualifications, the same shall be made available to Scheduled Castes candidates,” added the Bill.
Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal, a former education minister, called the move “an attempt to divide SCs just on the lines of Jats and non-Jats”. She also asked, “When the matter is pending in Supreme Court, how can the government bring Bill on it?”
However, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the move was initiated following a demand by a section of SCs. Haryana provides 20 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes in admission in educational institutions as well as services.