Sub-categorization of OBCs in the Central List

National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)

• Earlier, NCBC was a statutory body established in 1993 under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• The 102nd Constitution Amendment Act, 2018 provided constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), which was previously a statutory body.
• It was constituted pursuant to the provisions of the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.
• NCBC has the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.
• In 2015, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended that OBCs should be categorized into extremely backward classes, more backward classes and backward classes.
• The benefits of the reservation in OBCs are being cornered mostly by the dominant OBC groups over the years so there is a need to recognize sub-quotas for the extremely backward classes within the OBCs.

Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved a six-month extension to the commission appointed to examine the sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), up to 31st January 2021.

Subcategorization of OBCs

• The commission is headed by Justice (Retd.) G Rohini. It was constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution with the approval of the President on 2nd October 2017.
• It had been constituted to complete the task of sub-categorising 5000-odd castes in the central OBC list so as to ensure more equitable distribution of opportunities in central government jobs and educational institutions.
• Article 340 deals with the appointment of a commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes.
• It shall investigate the matters referred to them and present a report to the President.
• The President shall cause a copy of the report so presented together with a memorandum explaining the action taken thereon to be laid before each House of Parliament.

What is the news?

• Cabinet approves Extension of term of the Commission constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within Other Backward Classes in the Central List
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Eleventh Extension of the term of the Commission constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Central List by 6 months beyond 31st July 2021 and upto 31st January 2022.

DBT MOES Polar Research Centre

• Department of Biotechnology signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) With the Ministry of Earth Sciences To Set up the DBT MOES Polar Research Centre
• The POLAR region encompassing the Antarctic, Arctic, Southern Ocean and the Himalayas is a unique ecosystem offers a huge amount of interest due to its extreme climate compare to the rest of the world.
• Although researchers across the globe have contributed to different areas of research, the POLAR region is yet known as an unexplored ecosystem.
• The MoU envisages mutual collaboration to explore the possibility of cooperation, convergence and synergy to bring out the expertise and services of both the organizations under one roof and work hand-in-hand for addressing relevant questions in the field of polar biology.
• Particularly, biotechnological applications of polar microbes could be the centre point of this collaboration between both the Ministry of Earth Sciences and DBT.
• The MoU will be implemented with the aim to collaborate with in mutually agreed-upon thrust areas of research in the area of POLAR sciences.
• Initially, these efforts would be taken up through collaborative proposals by the researchers at MOES institutes making use of the presently available setups of MOES at Polar Regions.
• In order to strengthen this association and expedite the research in the polar region joint laboratories will be set up at MOES stations.
• This will allow researchers to carry out the experiments on the site without the need for transporting the samples to the parent laboratories in India and will generate valuable information and novel products from these unique environments.
• This flagship synergistic approach would be taken up in mission mode through networking with the elite institutions in the country.

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