BELLARY, DEC 23: Bishop Henry D’Souza welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision on Thursday to provide 4.5 per cent sub-quota for the minorities within the 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes.
“The decision was long overdue and he also insisted that equal rights be granted to all Dalits, no matter what religion they profess”, Bishop added.
The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, took the decision yesterday paving the way for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for minorities as defined in Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
The measure will include backward castes of all minority groups including Christians.
Apart from Muslims, the Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis are notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the Act.
According to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the method of calculating 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities is based on the findings of Mandal Commission, which says OBCs comprise 52 per cent of the country’s population. This includes 8.4 per cent of non-Hindus, who can be taken as minorities. Therefore, of the 27 per cent OBC reservation, which is almost half of their population, the sub-quota for minorities should be around 4 per cent.
The Shrine of Bellary Arogya Mathe was blessed and dedicated on 8th September 2000 on the feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Mother Mary in memory of the great jubilee 2000 and the Golden Jubilee of the Diocese of Bellary