The Chhattisgarh cabinet has approved draught measures to increase quotas.

On Thursday, the Chhattisgarh cabinet approved two draught bills that would increase quotas for Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), as well as provide reservation for EWS in education and Jobs. Sources claim that despite the Chhattisgarh high court’s recent decision declaring quotas higher than 50% unlawful, the entire reserve could go to 76%.
The meeting, headed over by CM Bhupesh Baghel, resolved to present the Chhattisgarh Lok Sewa SC/ST/OBC (Amendment) Bill 2022 for job reservation and the Chhattisgarh Educational Institutions Admissions Bill-2022 for educational quota. Both proposals follow a recent HC judgement to overturn a 2012 government decree to increase overall quota to 58%, ruling it unconstitutional.
The government is dealing with tribal anger following the court judgement, which reduced the ST quota from 32% to 20%. According to reports, the Congress administration intends to increase ST quotas to 32% (from 20%), SC quotas to 13% (from 12%), and OBC quotas to 27% (from 14%), while EWS reservation for non-ST/SC/OBC groups is likely to be restricted at 4%.
The cabinet has authorised increasing OBC reservation to 27% from the current 14%, Scheduled Castes reservation to 13% from the present 12%, and EWS quota to 10%.
With the remaining 32% ST quota unaffected, the reservation percentage was set to reach 82% as a result of this decision.
However, the Chhattisgarh High Court postponed this judgment in October 2019, citing a lack of measurable demographic statistics. The state government then formed the CGQDC, which delivered its findings on November 21.
The topic of quotas erupted in the state when the Chhattisgarh High Court overturned a 2012 ruling to increase quotas in education and employment in the state to 58%. The HC ruled that exceeding the 50% quota limit was unconstitutional.
According to the HC, Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey stated that the state government has reiterated its resolve to give reservation based on the population ratio of distinct groups. He noted that the Supreme Court has permitted EWS quotas of “up to” 10%, but has not provided any breakdown of the reserve for other communities as the measures.
The legislation, which will be debated during the two-day extraordinary session of the Assembly commencing December 1, are an attempt by the Congress administration to reinstate 32% reserve for STs, who are outraged that the 50% quota ceiling was illegal.
According to official sources, the bill also aims to increase the OBC quota from 14% to 27%, in accordance with Mandal Commission recommendations. CM Baghel stated that the cabinet has thoroughly discussed the reservation issue and has approved the draught bills to be tabled in the assembly.