Following the Centre, Bengal govt announces 10 pc reservations for general category youth in jobs

By Ankur Bhattacharya

Kolkata, 15 July (HS): Close on the heels of a similar announcement by the Centre before the Lok Sabha poll, the West Bengal government today announced an absolutely similar decision by reserving ten per cent government jobs for the state’s General category middle income group people.

According to a government gazette notification here today of last week’s state cabinet decision, at least ten per cent government jobs would now be kept reserved for the sons and daughters of those general category individual whole annual income was up to Rs 8 lakhs and who does not posses any flat or residential house of more than 1000 square feet and whose family does not own any agricultural land of over more than five acres anywhere in the state.

Since this unique reservation of government job was meant for only the sons and daughters of general category people, those belonged to the Scheduled castes or Scheduled tribes would remain outside the purview of this reservations,the notification stated.

Moreover, one has to fulfill all these three categories,not one or two,to become eligible for enjoying this facility,the sources at the state headquaters Nabanna, quoting the government notification, informed Hindusthan Samachar here today.

It may be recalled that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre announced an absolutely similar scheme of ten per cent government jobs reserved for the country’s general category middle income families to generate more employment for their sons and daughters by bringing the necessary amendments to the constitution prior to the last Lok Sabha poll. This has opened a new vista and an window of opportunity for millions of deserving general category candidates to get government employment.

Welcoming the state government decision in the same line  of the Centre in spite of its continuous opposition, senior  BJP leader and the party’s National Secretary Rahul Sinha told Hindusthan Samachar that it was wonderful to note that  encouraged by the Union government’s decision,the Mamata Banerjee government (in West Bengal) had now decided to follow it in toto to open a new opportunity to many more educated unemployed youth in the state.

A section of political observers who also hailed the government decision in this regard, hoped that this might go a long way towards possibly reviving the fortune of the state government before the 2021 Assembly elections.