A mandatory survey involving more than 1.25 lakh enumerators and officials will begin on Tuesday across Maharashtra to support the state government’s curative petition in the Supreme Court for Maratha quota.
State revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said on Monday that enumerators have been instructed to make the process, which will go on till January 31, error-free.
“More than 1.25 lakh enumerators, including superintendents and officials, have been appointed to carry out the work. Their training is over. The survey will start from Tuesday and go on till January 31 in all 36 districts, 27 municipal corporations and seven Cantonment boards in the state,” Vikhe Patil said in a statement.
“The revenue department is carrying out this work the for Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes. The data entry will take place in digital format, which will enable monitoring officials to keep an update on it in real-time. The records will directly be registered with the commission,” he added.
The state government-appointed committee under retired judge Sandeep Shinde has found 57 lakh records of OBCs in the state between October 28 and January 17. Out of it, 1.50 lakh people have received Kunbi caste certificates as well, he said.
Why has the survey been ordered?
The survey will be conducted to assess the social, economic and educational backwardness of the Maratha community, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Saturday.
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The Maratha community has been demanding reservations in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
The chief minister directed the administration to carry out this survey in three different shifts on war footing.
The survey announcement came on a day when Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange embarked on a protest march to Mumbai from Jalna with thousands of supporters. He has announced to launch an indefinite fast for the Maratha quota in Mumbai from January 26. Jarange has demanded the issuance of blanket Kunbi (OBC) caste certificates to all Marathas.
At the meeting, Shinde directed officials to inform villagers about the survey exercise and share details with gram panchayat offices.
“In order to check the social, economic and educational backwardness of the Maratha community, the state Commission for Backward Classes is going to start a survey on war footing from January 23. This work should be given a top priority and the survey should be carried out accurately with punctuality,” the chief minister said.
The survey will be conducted from January 23 to January 31, which will cover Maratha and non-Maratha open categories.
An estimated 2.50 crore families will be surveyed. Renowned institutions like the Gokhale Institute in Pune and IIPS will assist in carrying out this exercise, the chief minister said.
(With inputs from PTI)