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Current Affairs
Title : Maratha Reservation Bill 2024
Date : Mar 06, 2024
Description :
On February 20, the Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passed a Bill granting 10% reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community.
The law has been formulated based on a report of the Justice (retired) Sunil B Shukre-led Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission that claims to have surveyed 1,58,20,264 families across the State. It opined that “exceptional circumstances and extraordinary situations” justify granting reservation to the community beyond the Supreme Court-approved 50% limit.
The Bill specifies the Maratha community as a Socially and Educationally Backward Class under Article 342A (3) of the Indian Constitution. It provides reservation for this class under Articles 15(4), 15(5), and 16(4) of the Constitution.
Who are Marathas?
The Marathas comprise mainly peasant and landowning groups who make up almost a third of the population of Maharashtra.
Most Marathas speak Marathi, though not all Marathi-speaking people are Marathas.
The Marathas have been the politically dominant community in Maharashtra, 12 of its 20 Chief Ministers have been Marathas.
The division of holdings and problems in the farm sector over the years have led to a decline in the prosperity of middle- and lower middle-class Marathas.