Religion, Caste And Tribe Based Reservation - 3

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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Family Health Survey puts figure at 32 per cent </b>
Pioneer.com
Yoga Rangatia | New Delhi
Even as the Supreme Court takes a look at the basis of Government's quota contention, a Health Ministry household survey belies the Mandal Commission's claims that OBCs constitute over half of the total population.

<b>The 1998-99 National Family Health Survey said Other Backward Classes (OBCs) form about 32 per cent of the population</b>. The report was based on a national representative sample of more than 90,000 married women between 15 and 49 years old. International Institute for Population Sciences co-ordinated the study.

<b>Tamil Nadu tops in OBC population with almost three-fourth of the entire population in the State falling in this category</b>. Bihar follows with half the State population falling under the OBC category.

<b>Other States with substantial OBC population are Andhra Pradesh (43.5 per cent), Karnataka (40.3 per cent), Kerala (40.5 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (39.8 per cent).</b>

<b>States where OBC form about one-fifth of the total population are Haryana (21.4 per cent), Rajasthan (23.2 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (26.2 per cent), Gujarat (23.6 per cent) and Maharashtra (22.6 per cent).</b>

<b>States with relatively low OBC population are Himachal Pradesh (17.3 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (11.3 per cent), Punjab (16.8 per cent), West Bengal (4.5 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (12.4 per cent), Assam (12.5 per cent), Manipur (4.5 per cent), Meghalaya (1.2 per cent), Mizoram (0.2 per cent), Nagaland (3.4 per cent) and Goa (6.4 per cent). </b>

The data helped public health experts understand access to healthcare by caste and religion. But also served as the indicator for caste-based population in States.
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