Only six out of 20 States favour re-categorisation of sub-castes: Government
The Hindu
PM Modi to take a call on convening an all-party meet on the issue
Only six of the 20 States that have responded to the recommendation of re-categorisation of sub-castes have favoured this sub-categorisation, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment A Narayanaswamy said these six States are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana and Punjab.
The Minister was asked whether the government has any proposal to provide reservation within reservation to Madiga and Relli communities in Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Narayanaswamy said the matter is pending before the Supreme Court and is sub-judice.
To a suggestion on whether the government would convene an all-party meet on the issue, as demanded by the BJP a few years ago, he said this is a call that would be taken by the Prime Minister.
"So far 20 States and Union Territories have responded. 14 states have not favoured this sub-categorisation. But six States, including the States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana and Punjab are in favour of sub-categorisation," the minister said.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.