Jharkhand ups the number of SC, ST, and other reservations
A proposal to offer 77% reservation in state government positions to members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, OBC, and other economically disadvantaged sections was recently approved by the Jharkhand Government.
Keys
- The state government of Jharkhand has approved a bill to amend the Jharkhand Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services Act, 2001.
- The amendment bill provides 77 per cent reservation to SC, ST, BC, OBCs and economically weaker sections.
- It has increased the OBC reservation to 27 per cent from the present 14 per cent.
- It provides quota of 12 per cent for people belonging to local SC communities and 28 per cent for local ST communities.
- The extremely Backward Class people are given 15 per cent reservation and OBCs are given 12 per cent reservation.
- Economically backward individuals who are not included in other reserved categories are given 10 per cent reservation.
- The reservations in the government jobs would curtail migration of people to other states across India.
- Increasing reservation limits, especially for other backward classes (OBCs) has been a long-pending demand in Jharkhand.
- The state government also approved the “Jharkhand definition of local persons and for extending the consequential, social, cultural and other benefits to such local persons Bill, 2022”.
- This bill considers people whose ancestors have their name in the 1932 khatiyan (land records) or before as local inhabitants of Jharkhand.
- Those who are landless or do not have their or their families’ names in the 1932 Khatiyan, respective gram sabha would have the power to certify them based on language and customary traditions.
- This decision comes after the tribes demanded that the last land survey conducted by the British in 1932 must be used for determining who the local inhabitants were.
- The State Government has decided to request the Central Government to include the bill in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill
The state legislative council has approved the "Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill."
Key facts
- Karnataka’s anti-conversion bill was passed by the legislative assembly in December 2021.
- The bill bans forced religious conversions by direct or indirect means.
- It gives specific procedures for undertaking a religious conversion.
- This bill gives penalty to anyone who forcibly convert minor, woman, SC/ST, or a person of unsound mind with 3 to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs.50,000.
- Mass conversion (two or more people) could result in 3 to 10 years of imprisonment and Rs.1 lakh fine.
- Under this legislation, any individual seeking to convert their religion must submit a declaration at least 30 days before the conversion to the District Magistrate.
- The religious convertor is also required to submit a form to the DM at least 30 days before the intended conversion.
- After these submissions, the DM would notify the proposed religious conversion on the notice board of the offices of DM and Teshsildar.
- Within 30 days of the public notice, anyone can file an objection to the conversion.
- If any such objection occurs, the DM is required to conduct an inquiry to investigate the intension, purpose and cause of the proposed conversion.
- Any conversion that occurs while not following the procedure will be considered illegal and void.
Nine District Disability rehabilitation centres upgraded across India
Speech, visual therapy, and psychologists are available at the improved district disability rehabilitation centres (DDRC).
Key facts
- The upgraded model DDRCs are situated in Badaun, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Balaghat, Golaghat, Ahmedabad, Amravati, Kullu and Rampur.
- They were virtually inaugurated by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- In these model DDRCs, services like hearing aids testing lab, speech therapy room, visual therapy room, psychologist room, physiotherapist room, gait practice parallel bar and telemedicine/tele-therapy facilities are provided.
- They will also assist persons with disabilities to register in the Unique Disability ID portal.
- The model DDRCs are established to provide effective rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities.
- They were upgraded by the Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disability, which comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
About DDRC
- The District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC) is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that aims to provide comprehensive services to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in rural parts of India. They have been operating across India for the past 20 years. These centres have rehabilitation professions providing services like identifying Persons with Disabilities, creating awareness, early detection and intervention, Providing, fitting and repairing Assistive Devices and facilitating disability certificates, bus passes and other concessions/facilities targeting PwDs. These centres were set up and funded under the Scheme for Implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (SIPDA)