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Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST). The ‘Backward Classes’ first acquired a technical
list of such castes and tribes are prepared by meaning in the princely state of Mysore. In 1918,
public notification of the President. the government of Mysore appointed a commit-
B. Special Provisions tee to enquire into the question of encouraging
1. Reservation of seats in Lok Sabha and members of the ‘backward communities’ in
public service. In 1921, preferential recruitment
the State Assemblies.
of ‘backward communities’ was instituted and
2. Reservation for the members of SC’s
they were defined as ‘all communities others
and ST’s in jobs.
than Brahmins’ who were not adequately repre-
3. Constitution of Commission for
sented in the Public Services.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The term ‘all’ never acquired a definite
meaninng at the all India level. The constitution
provides for the appointment of a comission was
appointed in 1953, under the chairmanship of
Kaka Saheb Kalekar. This commission submitted
its report to the government in 1955, but the
tests recommended by the commission appeared
to the government to be too vague and wide to
be of much practical value: hence, the state
government have been authorised to give assis-
tance to the backward classes according to the
Scheduled Castes lists prepared by themselves.
4. Appointment of special officers to Mr B.P. Mandal submitted the report of the
investigate all the matters related to Second Backward Classes commission in 1980.
safeguards provided to SC’s and ST’s. In August 1990, government declared reserva-
5. Executive powers of the union to give tion of 27% seats in government service. On the
direction to the states related to draw- basis of this report, they were challenged as
ing up and execution fo schemes for unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court
their welfare. has rejected that challenge.
6. There shall be a minister in charge of The court has not itself enumerated the ‘back-
tribal welfare in sates of Bihar, Madhya ward classes’, but has directed the government to
Pradesh and Orissa. set up a commission to specify the ‘bachward
classes’ in the light of the priciples lais down by
7. Special provisions are mentioned in the
the court.
5th and 6th schedules of the constitu-
tion. BACKWARD CLASS
OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES A. Meaning
The Other Backward Classes (OBC’s) for whom These classes include those members of the
preferential treatment is permitted are not comunities which are specified in the public
defined in the constitution nor has any exclusive notification of the President, on the basis of
method or agency been provided for their their social and educational condition.
identification.
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