Haryana cabinet: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini informed the state Assembly that the notification of the state cabinet’s decision regarding sub-categorization within the Scheduled Castes to provide reservation has come into effect from Wednesday. The Haryana Cabinet had recently approved the recommendations of the Haryana Scheduled Castes Commission report last month following the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that states have the constitutional right to sub-categorize within the Scheduled Castes to provide reservation. Saini said in Haryana Assembly, ‘Assembly session is going on. I felt it was necessary to inform the House about the notification. Our Cabinet has already approved. Now, (after notification) the decision will become effective from today.
10 percent quota for deprived scheduled castes
Now 10 percent quota in government jobs in Haryana will be for deprived scheduled castes. Whereas, 10 percent quota will be for other scheduled castes. Meanwhile, during the discussion in the Assembly on the Governor’s address on the first day of the winter session, there was a heated exchange between Congress member Geeta Bhukkal and Minister Krishna Kumar Bedi over the sub-categorization issue. Bhukkal said, ‘Vacancies are not being filled, roster system is not being implemented, scholarships, stipends are not being given… it would have been better if the government had filled the vacant posts and provided better employment.’ Attacking the government, Bhukkal said that what it has done is ‘divide and rule’.
Heated debate between Congress and government
After this, Minister Bedi told Bhukkal that even though the Congress in Haryana has not chosen its legislative party leader, the challenge is for him to get any of its national leaders to issue a statement that the Congress opposes sub-categorization. As soon as Bedi said this, an altercation started between her and Bhukkal. Congress leader Bhupendra Singh Hooda intervened and said that Bedi should speak responsibly. Hooda told the government, ‘The question is not what you say, but what you should not say.’ During the discussion on the Governor’s address, the ruling BJP members said that Haryana is moving on the path of progress by corruption-free and transparent administration and providing jobs on the basis of merit, while the opposition Congress targeted the government on farmers, unemployment, drug addiction and other issues. Simple.