Raman forms Cabinet Committee to hike ST quota

     Raipur, February 25, 2010: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh today formed a Cabinet Sub-Committee to increase the quota for Schedule Tribe in Government Services.

     Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar would head the Sub Committee and Tribal Development Minister Kedar Kashyap, Panchayat Raj Minister Ram Vichar Netam, PWD Minister Brij Mohan Agrawal, Agriculture Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu and Food Minister Punnu Lal Mohale are the members of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, government sources told ChhattisgarhTopNews.com.

      The committee was formed after a delegation of tribal legislators met the Chief Minister earlier in the day and demanded increase in the quota for ST.

     There was a Tribal population of 23.27 per cent when it was under the undivided Madhya Pradesh. But when Chhattisgarh was formed the percentage of ST population was found to be 31.76 per cent, the delegation said.

     Although the population percentage was increased but the ratio of government job had not increased in that proportion under the new state of Chhattisgarh, the Tribal leaders pointed out and demanded revision on that.

      Also in the Class I and II government jobs the current reservation level was 18 per cent and for Class III and IV it was 20 per cent, they said advocating for an upward revision on that quota as per the current population of ST.

     Official Sources also said a Secretary level committee led by Additional Chief Secretary Serjius Minj and Secretaries from Law, General Administration and Tribal Departments as members, had already submitted its report on the subject and the Minister level Cabinet Sub-Committee would look into that before reaching a conclusion.