Yogi Adityanath deems raising OBC creamy layer bar as a welcome move

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath deemed the efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP)-led Central Government as a welcome move after it raised the creamy layer ceiling for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for central government jobs and also for setting up of a Commission to examine sub-categorization of the OBCs.

"We are thankful to the Prime Minister and the Central Government for further categorising the OBC and other castes as some of them weren't able to avail the policies of reservations earlier," he said, while speaking to ANI.

He also lauded the decision of the government to increase the ceiling of the creamy layer by Rs. 2 lakh.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday increased the creamy layer ceiling for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category to Rs. 8 lakh per annum from the existing six lakh for central government jobs.

The cabinet also announced setting up of a commission to examine sub-categorisation within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for a "more equitable distribution of reservation benefits".

The Commission will take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes, sub-castes, communities and synonyms in the central list of the OBCs and classifying them into their respective sub-categories. The Commission will submit its report within 12 weeks from the date of appointment of the chairperson.

Briefing the media in New Delhi yesterday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the decision is based on the recommendation of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).

The 'creamy layer' is a ceiling which bars members of the Other Backward Classes from availing reservations in employment.

Presently, if an OBC family's income is up to Rs. 6 lakh then it is entitled for 27 per cent reservation in government jobs and seats in educational institutes.

There had been three revisions of the creamy layer bar which was fixed at Rs. 1 lakh in 1993 and hiked to Rs. 2.5 lakh in 2004 and Rs. 4.5 lakh in 2008.

The present ceiling of Rs. 6 lakh came into being in 2013. 

-ANI