Congress welcomes Centre's decision to extend SC/ST reservation

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora said that the Congress party welcomes the Union Cabinet's decision to approve a proposal to extend the reservation for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies for another 10 years.

New Delhi:The Congress party on Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet's decision to approve a proposal to extend the reservation for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies for another 10 years.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora said that the move is necessary to "bring the people belonging to SC/ST community at par with the other dominant communities."

The Congress leader further said, "In fact when our Constitution was written, several provisions were included to extend benefits to the SC and ST community for their overall development."

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the proposal to extend the SC and ST reservation which is set to expire on January 25, 2020.

Sources said the government will now table a Bill in Parliament to extend the reservation till January 25, 2030, in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament.

While reservation for SC and ST in the legislature is carried out through constitutional amendments, similar reservation with respect to employment opportunities is being discussed by the respective state governments.

At present, there are 84 members from the SC and 47 from the ST communities in the Parliament.

In the state assemblies across India, there are 614 SC and 554 ST members.