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...but Buddhadeb announces 10% reservation

DNMUM162418 | 2/9/2010 | Author : Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri | WC :198 | Politics & Governance

The West Bengal government on Monday announced a 10% quota in jobs for the Muslim community on the basis of the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission report. The reservation will be for Muslims from weaker educational, social and economic backgrounds and will exclude the creamy layer.
Interestingly, the announcement comes even as the Union government is yet to take a stand on the commission's report. It comes ahead of the crucial elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and 82 municipalities in May-June this year.
"We have decided to accept the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission and will take steps to implement it,'' chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said. "We have reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs. Now we have begun the process of identifying Muslims from weaker backgrounds," he said, adding the reservation for them will be under the OBC category. At present, seven per cent of state government jobs in West Bengal are reserved for the OBC category.
Bhattacharjee said the creamy layer would be excluded. "By creamy layer, I mean families with an annual income of Rs4,50,000.'' As per the 2001 census, the state's population is 8.02 crore. Nearly 24% are Muslims.
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