Quota for BC-A: To give proportionate representation to the persons belonging to Backward Classes (A) in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as per the recommendations of the Haryana Backward Classes Commission, Haryana Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday, has approved the draft Ordinance to amend Sections 9, 59 and 120 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.
Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, the CM said that the elections of Panchayati Raj Institutions will be conducted soon. The reservation will be given to the Backward Classes (A) for the first time in these elections itself. “Now if there is even two per cent of the Backward Classes (A) population in a village, then at least one Panchayat member will definitely be elected,” he said.
Quota for BC-A
Khattar said that recently the Supreme Court gave directions regarding political reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions to Backward Classes-A. Haryana government had constituted the Backward Classes Commission to give reservation to Backward Class-A in this regard. The commission submitted a report based upon a sample survey. The Haryana cabinet approved this report and amended the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 by bringing in the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022.
The BC-A category is considered more backward among the Backward Classes (BCs). As per the amendment, seats of Panch (village council ward member) in every Gram Panchayat will be reserved for the Backward Classes (A) in same proportion of the total seats as one-half of the percentage of population of Backward Classes (A) to the total population in that Gram Sabha Area. In case the decimal value is 0.5 or more, it will be rounded off to the next higher integer.
“Provided that every Gram Panchayat will have at least one Panch belonging to the Backward Classes (A) if its population is two percent or more of the total population of the Sabha area,” he said.
Eight percent of the total number of offices of Sarpanch in a block and rounded off to the next higher integer in case the decimal value is 0.5 or more will be reserved for Backward Classes (A), he said.
Quota for BC-A in upcoming Panchayati polls
The seats will be reserved for the Backward Classes (A) in every Panchayat Samiti in the same proportion of total seats as one-half of the percentage of population of Backward Classes (A) to the total population in that block. In case the decimal value is 0.5 or more, it will be rounded off to the next higher integer.
Seats of members will be reserved for the Backward Classes (A) in every Zila Parishad in the same proportion of total seats as one-half of the percentage of population of Backward Classes (A) to the total population in that Zila Parishad area. The reservation shall not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats reserved in favour of Scheduled Castes and BC (A) taken together in a particular Panchayati Raj Institution.
The Commission has stated that as per the direction of the Supreme Court, the reservation should not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats reserved in favour of Scheduled Castes and BC (A) taken together in a particular Panchayati Raj Institution.