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Economy

OBC Welfare: Backward Class Schemes

Welfare Schemes: SC/ST, Backward Classes, Minorities, Disabled, Women, Children, Elderly

Paper I · Unit 2 Section 4 of 17 0 PYQs 50 min
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OBC Welfare: Backward Class Schemes

Constitutional and Legal Framework for OBC

Article 340 mandates the President to appoint a commission to investigate conditions of socially and educationally backward classes. This provision was invoked for the First Backward Classes Commission (Kaka Kalelkar Commission, 1953) and the landmark Second Backward Classes Commission (Mandal Commission, 1979). The Mandal Commission recommended 27% OBC reservation in central government jobs, implemented in 1992 following the Indra Sawhney vs. Union of India Supreme Court judgment.

Article 16(4) provides the constitutional foundation for OBC job reservations — reservation in services and posts for "backward class of citizens not adequately represented." The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) was established by law in 1993 and elevated to constitutional status under Article 338B by the 105th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2021.

Key Terms

  • Other Backward Classes (OBC) — Socially and educationally backward classes identified by Central/State government; 52 communities in Rajasthan's Central OBC list
  • Most Backward Classes (MBC) — Sub-category within OBC; Rajasthan provides additional 1% reservation for MBC in state government jobs
  • Creamy Layer — OBC persons with family income above ₹8 lakh/year are excluded from central OBC reservation benefits; no creamy layer applies to SC/ST
  • Denotified Tribes (DNT), Nomadic Tribes (NT), Semi-Nomadic Tribes (SNT) — Communities listed under the Criminal Tribes Act 1871 (repealed 1952) and subsequently denotified; they overlap with OBC/SC/ST categories

OBC Schemes in Rajasthan

  • Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBC — For Classes 9–10; income limit ₹1 lakh/year
  • Post Matric Scholarship for OBC — For post-Class 10 education; income limit ₹1 lakh/year for central scheme; Rajasthan supplements with state-funded post-matric scholarships with enhanced income limits
  • Rajasthan Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (RBCFDC) — Concessional loans and self-employment schemes for OBC, MBC, DNT, NT, SNT communities; priority to first-generation entrepreneurs
  • Mukhyamantri Anuprati Coaching Yojana — OBC/MBC students eligible for 30,000 free coaching seats (see Section 5)
  • Vishwakarma Yuva Udyami Protsahan Yojana (VYUPY) — Announced Rajasthan Budget 2025-26; ₹150 crore corpus; loans up to ₹2 crore with 8% interest subsidy (additional 1% for SC/ST/women); Bunkar (weaver) and Shilpkar (artisan) communities — predominantly OBC — get extra subsidy