Special Correspondent Panaji
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said the Centre-initiated Census 2027 will provide a clearer picture of the percentage of OBC and other reserved categories in Goa, as current data is inconclusive.
Sawant was responding to questions raised by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, who challenged the validity of the current 27 per cent OBC reservation, which is based on a study by the Centre for Development Planning and Research (CDPR).
Sardesai said that the OBC population overlaps with other categories. “If Goa has 27 per cent OBCs, 10 per cent Muslims, 23 per cent Catholics, and 12 per cent tribal, then where does the remaining population fit in,” he said.
He also said that the Bhandari community, said to form 60 per cent of Goa’s population, is demanding a separate quota within the 27 per cent OBC reservation.
Sawant said that the Bhandari community is currently covered under the OBC category and that the existing data is outdated. He added that the government will consider any changes in the reservation structure only after the new data is available.
On Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao’s demand for greater OBC representation in higher education, Sawant said the government would issue a notification next week implementing reservation for OBC students in postgraduate medical courses at Goa Medical College and the state’s Dental College, in accordance with the 100-point roster system.
