Maharashtra Panel Discusses Increased Job Quota For Tribals In Eight Districts

A key meeting was held on Wednesday at the state secretariat under the chairmanship of Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule to discuss the proposal of increasing job reservations for tribal communities in eight tribal-dominated districts of Maharashtra.

The meeting was attended by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike, and Minister for Other Backward and Bahujan Welfare Atul Save.

The discussion focused on districts where the tribal population is significantly high — namely Palghar, Nashik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Raigad. The proposal suggests increasing the reservation for tribal communities in government jobs in these areas by slightly reducing the quotas for SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes), EWS (Economically Weaker Sections), and OBCs.

This was the second meeting of the committee formed to study the issue. While Ministers Dada Bhuse and Chhagan Bhujbal emphasized that any additional reservation for tribals should not come at the cost of reducing existing quotas for SEBC, EWS, or OBC groups, Ministers Ashok Uike and Atul Save also shared their views during the discussion.

After considering the opinions of all committee members, it was decided that a formal proposal will now be sent to the Chief Minister for further action.