SC/ST employees association held protest in Mysore

NEW DELHI: The Centre is moving ahead on the proposal to provide reservation in promotion for SC and ST employees in government jobs with a key official report saying underprivileged sections needed affirmative action.

A report prepared by the department of personnel and training ( DoPT ), presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi , supported quotas in promotion for SCs and STs . "For equal opportunity and inclusive growth, there is need for reservation in promotion to continue in favour of SCs and STs," it said.

DoPT was asked to prepare a report following a meeting chaired by Modi in March 2016 to deal with several judicial orders against reservation in promotion on the basis of a constitution bench verdict in the M Nagraj case in 2006.

The judgment said Article 16(4A) was only an enabling provision, and not mandatory, which gave freedom to the state to provide for reservation in matters of promotion to SC and ST employees.

The 2006 order said the provision could be enforced only after conditions - "backwardness", "inadequacy of representation" and "administrative efficiency" - were met for the intended beneficiaries.

The report noted that 15% and 7.5% representation of SCs and STs was not achieved in several departments.

The report, prepared in consultation with the attorney general, said SCs/STs were economically, socially and educationally far behind other social groups in important parameters of development to justify affirmative action.

The report is a step towards the Modi government's plan to deal with Supreme Court judgments which have made it difficult for the Centre and state governments to reserve posts for SCs/STs in promotion.

