By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: 30 years after the demand for reservation was raised by Muslims in Maharashtra, the fourth term seeking INC-NCP government led by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on June 25 approved 5% reservation to Muslim community and 16 % to Maratha community.
Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan made it clear that this “quota for Muslims is not religion-based but on the criterion of social and economic backwardness.” This 5% reservation does not include the Muslim OBCs, like Teli, Qureshi etc., which are already included in the OBC list of the state.
Although state government has not yet released the list of the communities to be included in this 5% quota, but TCN has prepared a list, based on sources, media reports and talking to community leaders, according to which 50 communities from the state may get the benefit of this quota. As the state government has not issued any list so far, this remains a probable list.
This 5 % Muslim and 16 % Maratha reservations will not affect already reserved 51 % quota in the state as declared by Maharashtra government. Therefore the above list exclude Muslim OBCs who are not covered under this 5 % quota but under OBC quota in the state.
With the reservation announcement, Maharashtra became the fifth state of the country after Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to allow reservation in education and jobs to Muslims.
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Maharashtra cabinet approves 5 % reservations for Muslims, 16 % for Marathas