No Central approval needed for giving reservation to Kapu community: Union Minister

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik on Thursday stated that no permission is required from the Central Government to provide Backward Caste (BC) reservation to any caste in State Government jobs and educational institutions.

Bhoumik responded to a question raised by MP GVL Narasimha Rao in Rajya Sabha, on Thursday that BC reservation should be given to the Kapu community in state government jobs and in educational institutions.

The Union Minister stated that there are separate Central and State lists of backward classes, which have existed ever since reservation for other backward classes was introduced in the Central government in 1993.

On being asked about the due procedure to be followed by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh to give BC reservation to the Kapu community, the Union Minister stated that the State Government is empowered to provide reservation to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) and to prepare and maintain for its own purposes a separate list of SEBCs as per the provisions of the 342A (3) inserted vide the Constitution 105th Amendment Act, 2021.

Commenting on the issue, Rao stated that both the YCP and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had cheated Kapus in Andhra Pradesh by repeatedly misleading them that the State Government does not have the authority to give BC reservations.

"YCP and TDP's lies have been exposed by the reply of the Central government in Parliament," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )