CPI(M) demands reservation for SCs, STs in private sector

The CPI(M) on Thursday demanded reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in private sector jobs and resolved to run a campaign to bring pressure on the Centre to bring a legislation to help people of these communities, hit hard due to neo-liberal economic policies.

Briefing reporters on deliberations at the ongoing 21st party Congress here, politburo member Brinda Karat said the meet has taken serious exception to the "blatantly exclusionary and discriminatory" policies being followed by successive governments at the Centre towards the rights and entitlements of the people of SC and ST communities.

"The 21st party Congress of CPI(M) demands that reservation for SCs and STs be extended to the private sector through appropriate legislation and that allocations for Scheduled Caste Special Component Plan (SCSCP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) be made mandatory through an appropriate law.

"The party Congress calls upon all units of the party to take up these issues and build public pressure to force the Government to fulfill these demands," she said. As a consequence of neo-liberal policy, people of SC and ST communities have faced a reduction of their legitimate share in national resources.

"In spite of the mandatory reservation in jobs for SC and STs in government and public sector undertakings, there is a huge backlog. The Government records indicate that the backlog in 2011 in the Government sector for Scheduled Castes was 24,779 posts.

"Vacancies for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes would be much higher if Group A, B, and C were calculated along with vacancies in State Governments and the public sector," the resolution adopted by the party on SC/ST reservation stated.

The meet had on Thursday adopted a resolution demanding that the Government convene a special session of Parliament in view of BR Ambedkar's 124th birth anniversary celebrations. To a query, Karat said her party has always stood for SC, ST and other oppressed classes.

Though the governments are mandated to ensure allocations in budgetary resources for the development and welfare of SC and STs equal to their proportion in the population, (16.6% for SC and 8.6% for ST), over the years, the Centre has allocated less than 50% of the required proportion, it said.

The party said in this year alone, the Narendra Modi-led government has cut allocations for SCSCP and the shortfall is as high as Rs 46,385 crore. Shortfall in allocations for TSP is an equally shocking figure of Rs 20,000 crore.

Thus, while population of SC and ST as a proportion of the total population is around 25%, the share of allocations to SC and STs, which were at an all-time low this year, was just 10%, the resolution explained.

The Congress also passed four other resolutions, including one on expressing solidarity to the people of West Bengal and demanding implementation of recommendations for Minority Development Programmes. The party also decided to raise the annual membership fee to Rs 5 from the existing Rs 2.