Lok Sabha passes 10% job quota bill for upper caste poor; also covers private education institutions

The Lok Sabha has passed a Constitution amendment bill that aims to provide 10 per cent reservation for general category poor. The bill provides reservation in the central as well as educational government jobs, which also includes private higher educational institutions, to those belonging to the economically weaker sections from the upper castes. As many as 323 members supported the bill to amend Article 15 and 16 of the Constitution to enable reservation, while three members voted against it.

Though most parties supported the idea of giving job assurance in terms of reservation for the poor, they doubted the intention of the government and asked the bill to be sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for further scrutiny. They said the government deliberately brought the amendment bill before the end of the Winter Session, to create a wave before the Lok Sabha elections in May after taking a hit in the recent Assembly elections in five states.

The bill will now be presented in the Rajya Sabha today. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the bill will stand legal scrutiny. The bill was passed after discussion for about five hours, during which Opposition members argued that it had several loopholes, and raised doubts over the government's intention to pass it in hurry.