“No Provision For Creamy Layers In SC/ST Quota”: Centre

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently stated that the Constitution, as drafted by BR Ambedkar, doesn’t include a provision for a creamy layer within the reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

He emphasized that the NDA government is committed to upholding the Constitution as it stands.

Vaishnaw’s comments come in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that allows states to sub-classify SCs and STs. The Court also noted that states can develop a policy to identify and exclude the creamy layer within these groups from the benefits of affirmative action.

Before this, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, engaged in a thorough discussion regarding the Supreme Court’s judgment on the sub-categorization of reservations for SCs and STs as laid out in the Constitution.

“Recently, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment regarding the reservation and a suggestion regarding SC and ST reservations. Today, the Cabinet had a detailed discussion on this matter. The NDA government is bound to follow the Constitution prepared by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. According to Ambedkar’s Constitution, there is no provision for a creamy layer within SC and ST reservations,” Vaishnaw said during a conference.

Shifting focus to farmers’ issues, Vaishnaw announced a significant initiative aimed at increasing their income through the Clean Plant Program. “Horticulture can provide a significant income source for farmers. One major problem has been viruses in plants, which reduced productivity. To address this, nine institutions will be transformed into clean plant centers, and 75 nurseries will be established for clean mother planting material replication,” he explained.

Vaishnaw also discussed the transformative impact of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. “In the last 10 years, 4 crore houses have been built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, resulting in significant social transformation. A detailed discussion has taken place regarding the construction of 3 crore additional houses, it was one of PM Modi’s early promises. The budget provision for this will be Rs 3,60,000 crore. Of these 3 crore houses, 2 crore will be built in rural areas and 1 crore in urban areas.”

Additionally, the Union Cabinet, led by PM Modi, approved eight major railway projects that will benefit aspirational and tribal districts.

While briefing on the Cabinet decisions, Vaishnaw noted that the new railway projects are projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 767 crore kilograms, which is equivalent to planting 30 crore trees.

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