Upper income limit for OBC's creamy layer may be doubled

NEW DELHI: In a move that could allow reservation benefits to a larger section of Other Backward Classes (OBC), the upper income limit for creamy layer to be excluded from this category is likely to double up.
      
The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) will submit a report in this regard to Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar on Tuesday.
 
"We will submit our recommendation on the new ceiling tomorrow. Before this, commission members will finalise ceiling amount," said NCBC member secretary Luxmi Chand.
      
Sources in the Commission said the NCBC has submitted its assessment report and the ceiling is likely to be fixed around Rs 5 lakh annually instead of the present Rs 2.5 lakh. The first ceiling for OBC reservation was fixed at Rs 1 lakh annually in 1993.
      
With prices of commodities rising manifolds and income level of OBCs rising in monetary terms, the demand to raise the ceiling was pending for long.
       
Those OBCs belonging to the creamy layer cannot claim benefits, including reservation in jobs and professional courses that are available to rest of the category.
      
The NCBC, which functions under the Union Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment, had sought views of all state backward class commissions on the ceiling amount.