As a step aimed at mitigating social and economic inequalities, West Bengal has recently put forward a proposal to expand the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by incorporating 87 castes. A substantial majority of which comprise 80 castes belong to the Muslim community.

This development has triggered an extraordinary historical investigation, spearheaded by the National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC). This effort involves a meticulous examination of historical records dating back to the Imperial Gazetteer period. The primary aim of this extensive examination is to diligently confirm the OBC status of these castes, particularly during the British India era.

As of now, the Central OBC list encompasses 98 castes originating from West Bengal. This undertaking holds particular significance as OBCs constitute a significant portion, totaling 16 percent, of the state's overall population. The proposal to include these 87 castes in the OBC category underscores a notable stride toward addressing social and economic disparities prevalent within the state.

The Chairman of NCBC Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, stated in an interview with ET, "The state government has submitted recommendations for the inclusion of 87 additional castes to the NCBC. Among these, there are two corrections and 85 new inclusions that the state has requested."

"The Commission is in the process of reviewing these proposals. It's noteworthy that out of the 87 proposals, 80 pertain to castes within the Muslim community," he further said.

According to data provided by the NCBC, the state's OBC roster comprises a total of 179 castes, including 61 Hindu OBCs and 118 Muslim OBCs. Ahir noted, "This scenario is unique for a Hindu-majority state, and in fact, we have not observed a similar situation in any other state except West Bengal."

Ahir conveyed that the Commission has advised the state to consult historical records from the British India era to ascertain if any of these castes were previously classified as OBCs before their conversion to Islam.

"We have requested the state government to provide us with information regarding their status in the Imperial Gazetteer, Mandal list, and the State OBC list," Ahir explained.

The National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC) has consistently drawn attention to discrepancies in the execution of reservation policies within West Bengal. As part of their efforts, a field investigation conducted in February revealed instances wherein Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants had acquired OBC certificates, consequently availing themselves of reservation privileges.

In line with governmental directives, states possess the jurisdiction to incorporate castes into the State List. However, it is imperative that they adhere to the stipulation of forwarding their recommendations to the Central Authority for the inclusion of castes in the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Image source: ET