By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has taken an important step towards protecting the interests of various backward communities of Odisha and providing them social justice. He has written a letter to Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Birendra Kumar requesting his personal intervention to include 108 communities recognized by the Odisha Government in the State SEBC list in the Central OBC list.
Shri Pradhan has stated in his letter that although these communities have been recognized by the Odisha Government in the State SEBC List, they have not been included in the Central List. Due to this discrepancy, the people of this category are deprived of getting jobs, enrollment in educational institutions and various welfare schemes of the Central Government. The number of people belonging to the SEBC category is high as per the population of Odisha. If the people of this community/caste/tribe are included in the Central List, they will be equally provided with reservation and benefits of welfare schemes at the global level, which will help in their economic and educational growth.
Shri Pradhan has enclosed a detailed list of 108 communities with his letter. This includes many important communities like Khandayat, Pradhan, Chasa Paik, Mohanty, Gauda, Bonia, and Teli. He has requested the Union Minister to personally intervene for the educational and economic development of these communities.
It is noteworthy that yesterday, Shri Pradhan wrote a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi regarding this issue and for the welfare of the people of the SEBC category, requesting for the immediate restructuring of the Odisha State Backward Classes Commission (OSCBC).
