Haryana

• 24 Jun 2024

Increase in Income Limit of OBC

Why in News?

Recently, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced an increase in annual income limit for creamy layer of Other Backward Classes (OBC) from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh.

Key Points

• The primary goal is to safeguard the welfare of the OBC community in Haryana and provide substantial benefits to the youth in government jobs.
• The chief minister stated that the reservation quota for backward classes in Group-A and Group-B positions, presently at 15%, will be raised to 27%, aligning with the policy of the Central government.

Reservation in India

• In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 340 of the Constitution, the President appointed a backward class commission in December 1978 under the chairmanship of B. P. Mandal.
• The commission was formed to determine the criteria for defining India’s “socially and educationally backward classes” and to recommend steps to be taken for the advancement of those classes.
• The Mandal Commission concluded that India’s population consisted of approximately 52 percent OBCs, therefore 27% government jobs should be reserved for them.
• The commission has developed eleven indicators of social, educational, and economic backwardness.
• Apart from identifying backward classes among Hindus, the Commission has also identified backward classes among non-Hindus (e.g., Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists.
• It has generated an all-India other backward classes (OBC) list of 3,743 castes and a more underprivileged “depressed backward classes” list of 2,108 castes.

Gohana: 23rd District of Haryana

Why in News?

Addressing a gathering in Gohana on the occasion of 626^th birth anniversary of saint Kabir Das, the Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini announced that Gohana in Sonepat is set to be announced as the 23rd district of Haryana.

Key Points

• A committee has been formed to form new districts in the state and it will submit its report within three months. After which Gohana will be declared as a new district of the state.
• During the gathering the chief minister announced:
  • The construction of a chowk named after Saint Kabir in Gohana.
  • Allocation of ₹31 lakh to Gohana Dhanak shiksha sabha for the construction of a library and langar hall.
  • Immediate initiation of the construction of a bypass on the Rohtak-Jind road as soon as the required land is available.
  • Completion of the backlog in government jobs.
• The CM also informed that the Haryana Antyodaya Parivar Parivahan Yojana (HAPPY) has been introduced, which offers free travel up to 1000 km annually in Haryana State Transport buses to 84 lakh individuals from 23 lakh families with incomes below ₹1 lakh.
  • Under the Chirayu yojana, the government is providing free medical treatment up to ₹5 lakh per year to economically disadvantaged individuals at government and private hospitals.
  • The state government has also initiated the Mahapurush Samman Prachar Prasar Yojana to promote the teachings of great personalities among the masses.

Sant Kabir Das

• He was born in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He was a 15^th century mystic poet, saint and social reformer and a proponent of the Bhakti Movement.
  • Kabir's legacy is still going on through a sect known as Panth of Kabir, a religious community that considers him as the founder.
• His early life was in a Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher, the Hindu bhakti leader Ramananda.
• Kabir Das' writings had a great influence on the Bhakti movement and includes titles like Kabir Granthawali, Anurag Sagar, Bijak, and Sakhi Granth.
  • His verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
  • The major part of his work was collected by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev.
  • He was best known for his two-line couplets, known as 'Kabir Ke Dohe'.
• Kabir's works were written in the Hindi language which was easy to comprehend. He used to write in couplets to enlighten people.