Union Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday demanded that the State Government implement the Mandal Commission recommendation of providing a 27% reservation to SEBC and OBC candidates in Government jobs and higher education sector.

“It has been 30 years since the commission recommendation implemented in the country in 1990. While SEBC and the OBC is a major constituent of Odisha population, it is not understood why the State Government has not implemented 27 per cent reservation for them,” Pradhan said in response to a question of reporters on the State Government’s move for enumeration of SEBC and OBC population along with the General Census in 2021.

He said he had earlier on July 25, 2018 written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to implement the Mandal Commission recommendations in Odisha in line with other States. The SEBC and the OBC people have the constitutional right to get reservations,” he said.

He said the Centre might consider the State’s proposal for a Socio-Economic Caste Enumeration simultaneously along-with the General Census.

Besides, former Union Minister and Samajika Nyaya Abhiyan chief Srikant Jena also made the same demand.

Addressing a Press meet here, he said the State Government soon implement Mandal Commission recommendation of 27% reservation for SEBC and OBC candidates in both Government jobs and higher education institutions and 38.5 reservation for SC and ST candidates in education sector.

Jena ridiculed the Chief Minister for thinking about development of SEBC and OBC people, which constitute 94% of the State’s population, after remaining in power for 20 years.

Stating that Article 15 (4) and 16 (4) have given power to the Union Government and the State Governments to make development plans for the SC, ST, Minorities and Socially and Economically Backward Classes, Jena said, “I thank Naveen Patnaik to have gone through the  Article 15 (4) and 16 (4) and is now thinking about the development of the SEBC and OBC people. Had he implemented reservations recommended by the Mandal Commission, many doctors, engineers and officers in higher posts have been produced from the SEBC and OBC categories by now.”