Subhechcha Ganguly 
Two bills, one raising the percentage of jobs reserved for members of the SC, ST, backward classes, OBC, and economically weaker sections to 77%, and the other fixing land records from 1932 as the basis for domicile in the state, were approved by the Jharkhand cabinet, which is led by chief minister Hemant Soren. According to Jharkhand Cabinet Secretary Vandana Dadel, the new Bill will increase reservation for the Scheduled Tribes to 28%, Other Backward Classes to 27%, and Scheduled Castes to 12%.
Dadel stated that the total reservation would increase to 77% after accounting for the 10% reservation for the economically weaker section.
The changes occur in the midst of a political upheaval in Jharkhand caused by the threatthat Chief Minister Hemant Soren would lose his right to serve as an MLA due to an office-of-profit case.After a cabinet meeting presided over by chief minister Soren, Dadel announced that the “Jharkhand definition of local persons and for extending the consequential, social, cultural and other benefits to such local persons Bill, 2022” had been approved. According to the Bill, those whose names appear in the khatiyan (land records) from 1932 or earlier will be regarded as local Jharkhand residents.
The respective gramme sabha would also have the authority to certify people based on their language and customs if they are landless or do not have their names or those of their families listed in the 1932 khatiyan, the cabinet secretary said. In order to be included in the Constitution’s Ninth Schedule, the proposal will also be forwarded to the Central Government.Soren called the cabinet decision “historic” in a statement to reporters following the meeting.
Prior to the 2019 assembly elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led United Progressive Alliance made a poll promise to increase the OBC quota. Additionally, the BJP had pledged to increase OBC reservation. Similar attempts to exceed the 50% cap on reservation set by the SC, however, have been rejected by the courts in states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
