Vijayawada: The state govt appointed retired IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan Mishra as a one-man commission for the implementation of SC categorisation.
Orders were issued with detailed terms of reference to the commission, asking for specific recommendations on the sub-classification of scheduled castes. This is to ensure that the benefits of reservation policies are equitably distributed among the various sub-groups of scheduled castes in Andhra Pradesh, in light of the judgement of the supreme court.
The terms of reference given to the commission include undertaking a rational sub-classification and grouping together of the homogeneous sub-castes of SCs in the state. This should be done by adopting a scientific methodology and considering the available contemporaneous data and census at district, zonal, and state levels.
The commission must conduct empirical studies to identify the backwardness within various sub-groups of SCs in the state by focusing on the inadequacy of representation in the services of the state and admissions into educational institutions. The commission is also tasked with examining various facets of social, economic, political, and educational backwardness among various sub-groups and identifying the manner of effective implementation of sub-categorisation of SCs in accordance with the judgement of the apex court.
Besides submitting specific recommendations on the aspects mentioned, the state govt further asked the commission to study and suggest all other measures required to ensure that the benefits of reservation policies are equitably distributed among the various sub-groups. A constitutional bench of the supreme court recently upheld the constitutional validity of sub-categorisation of SCs by overruling an earlier judgement.
The demand for sub-categorisation started in united Andhra Pradesh by Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) during the 90s. The then TDP govt supported the cause and categorised SCs into four subgroups, but it was struck down by the supreme court. The litigation was reopened by the apex court in 2011, and a larger constitutional bench ruled that categorisation is valid with necessary safeguards for equitable distribution of benefits to remove inadequacies.
