The controversy over IAS probationer Puja Khedkar’s OBC and incapacity standing appears to have opened a can of worms. Allegations of pretend incapacity claims by quite a few IAS and IPS officers are circulating extensively on social media as activists additionally publish screenshots of the lists of a number of IAS and IPS officers with particular category-based — OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) or EWS (Economically Weaker Part) — candidatures.
In response to the social media marketing campaign and the extremely viral lists of alleged offenders, many All India Providers officers at the moment are demanding a complete investigation into these claims. Specialists warning that these accusations of falsifying entry-level certificates reveal a troubling decline within the integrity of India’s bureaucratic “metal body”, suggesting it might be “rusting”.
Tons of of posts are flooding a number of social media platforms with customers posting photographs, monetary standing, household background of officers accused of forgery or falsification of paperwork. Questions are being raised over the verification system for the OBC and EWS quotas and incapacity reservation.
In the meantime, a number of allegations have additionally surfaced about real OBC and EWS candidates being excluded from the All India Providers regardless of securing legitimate ranks. These fraudulent practices not solely undermine the integrity of the reservation system but additionally deprive deserving candidates of their rightful alternatives.
Pandora’s Field
The sequence of incidents and revelations round Puja Khedkar’s candidature has ignited a broader debate over India’s most esteemed and prestigious choice course of by the Union Public Service Fee (UPSC), that builds the nation’s ‘metal body’.
A senior IAS officer within the Division of Personnel and Coaching (DoPT) stated that the federal government is intently monitoring the posts on social media and the web marketing campaign. “The federal government could confirm the small print and provoke an inquiry if it receives a proper criticism in opposition to any officer’s candidature. Questions have been raised over virtually a dozen IAS and IPS officers. A lot of them at the moment are in the midst of their profession, whereas some are nonetheless on the junior stage,” stated the officer on situation of anonymity.
“An inquiry primarily based on a social media marketing campaign isn’t attainable, however the authorities has a number of methods to judge the officers in query and that will probably be finished in due course of,” he added.
What’s Non-Creamy Layer OBC Reservation?
Reservation has all the time been a contentious and debatable concern within the nation throughout schooling and employment sectors. The system of reservation was launched to uplift traditionally marginalised communities, together with the Different Backward Courses (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
In 1980, the Mandal Fee advisable 27% reservation for OBCs in authorities jobs and academic establishments, which was carried out in 1992. Subsequent to that, reservation was introduced in for OBCs in Indian paperwork. Earlier than the Nineteen Nineties, reservation was meant for under SC and ST candidates.
Nevertheless, the federal government later refined the OBC reservation coverage for the extremely aggressive All India Providers (AIS). The UPSC laws state: “Reservation is made for the candidates belonging to the OBC class in respect of vacancies as could also be mounted by the Authorities. No reservation/leisure is admissible to OBC candidates belonging to creamy layer.” It additional clarified that the time period ‘OBC’ has been used to imply ‘non-creamy layer OBC’.
The UPSC additionally says the candidate making use of for OBC class is remitted to submit an OBC certificates. The certificates can solely be issued by authorities like district magistrates, collectors, further or sub-divisional magisterates and so forth.
This checklist of authorities who can concern a certificates consists of the IAS officers. In a number of social media posts, activists allege that officers with questionable candidatures come from all-bureaucrat households as properly.
“There are leakages within the system. If a candidate has a bureaucrat within the household, she or he will simply be capable to get an OBC certificates issued. The UPSC must have a strong verification system, which it appears to be lacking,” stated one other senior IAS officer.
What’s Incapacity Reservation
The UPSC supplies reservations for candidates with disabilities in its efforts to advertise inclusivity and guarantee equal alternatives within the civil providers. The Rights of Individuals with Disabilities Act, 2016 mandates the reservation of 4% of vacancies in authorities jobs for PwD (Individuals With Incapacity) candidates. The act clearly defines the classes.
Based on the Act, there are 21 classes of disabilities, together with blindness, deafness, locomotor incapacity, psychological sickness, and a number of disabilities.
Based on the UPSC incapacity coverage, the fee allocates 4% of the full vacancies for individuals with disabilities throughout completely different classes and the classes embody locomotor incapacity, blindness and low imaginative and prescient, listening to impairment and a number of disabilities.
In a number of the allegations, a couple of officers have been accused of faking ‘locomotor incapacity’. Locomotor incapacity refers to a medical situation which restricts an individual’s free motion or limits the particular person’s motion. The situation may be attributable to polio assault, muscle dystrophy, spinal harm or amputation of a limb.
What are the Reforms Being Demanded?
Retired and serviced bureaucrats throughout states and organisations have known as for a strong mechanism to confirm such certificates. “Despite the fact that the federal government has established verification mechanisms to scrutinize the authenticity of OBC and incapacity certificates with common audits, the system is but to be foolproof. That’s the reason lapses happen,” stated a senior IFoS (Indian Forest Service) officer serving in a northern state.
“The UPSC must preserve in place stricter verification processes and impose harsher penalties for these discovered responsible of falsifying paperwork. The fee could use know-how, akin to digital certificates and databases, to enhance the verification course of and scale back fraud,” he added.
Adblock take a look at (Why?)
