10-20-2006, 07:19 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>'BP Mandal pre-judged OBC headcount' </b>
Pioneer.com
Praveen Kumar | New Delhi
Mandal Commission chairman BP Mandal had pre-judged the figure 54 while calculating the percentage of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) population. <b>The extent of the OBC population still remains a mystery for the Union Government and the figure of 54 per cent provided by it is apparently "manipulated". </b>
In a startling revelation, chairman of the technical committee of the Mandal Commission and noted <b>social scientist Professor BK Royburman has said that Mandal had already fixed the OBC population at 54 per cent before their panel could carry out any scientific survey.</b>
While the<b> National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report has quoted the OBC population as 37.4 per cent in rural areas and 31.4 per cent in urban areas, the Mandal report gave OBC population figure of 54 per cent, based on the census of 1931. </b>
"In the few deliberations that we had, we were allowed access to the unpublished findings of caste configuration of the 1951 census, which put the figure at around 14 per cent. During the deliberations, certain small communities were added to the list. Then also the figure did not go beyond 31 per cent," says the noted sociologist.
Professor Royburman's statement raises big question whether the Mandal Commission exercise was a complete farce. Royburman told The Pioneer, "We, the three sociologists (Professor MN Srinivas and Professor Yogendra Singh being the other two) were given the task of carrying out a survey to find the percentage of backward class population. As head of the technical committee, along with my colleagues, I had to start the survey, when we were informed that the percentage has already been fixed at 54 per cent on the basis of the 1931 census.
"We were, however, told that there was no curtailment on our travel and other expenses and we could go through the drill of carrying out a survey to reach a conclusion that the OBC population was pegged at 54 per cent mark."
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"Unhappy with this development, I along with my colleagues resigned from the Commission. When BP Mandal praised our work in his acknowledgement of the Mandal Commission Report, all of us strongly and swiftly disowned the same as we were not given any real opportunity to work for the Commission," </span>Royburman said.
The Supreme Court, last Monday, came down heavily on the Government's decision by questioning the Centre's move to implement 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in educational institutions without proper data on OBCs. The court curtly said, "You announce the policy without having the data. You play the game first and frame the rules later."
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Pioneer.com
Praveen Kumar | New Delhi
Mandal Commission chairman BP Mandal had pre-judged the figure 54 while calculating the percentage of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) population. <b>The extent of the OBC population still remains a mystery for the Union Government and the figure of 54 per cent provided by it is apparently "manipulated". </b>
In a startling revelation, chairman of the technical committee of the Mandal Commission and noted <b>social scientist Professor BK Royburman has said that Mandal had already fixed the OBC population at 54 per cent before their panel could carry out any scientific survey.</b>
While the<b> National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report has quoted the OBC population as 37.4 per cent in rural areas and 31.4 per cent in urban areas, the Mandal report gave OBC population figure of 54 per cent, based on the census of 1931. </b>
"In the few deliberations that we had, we were allowed access to the unpublished findings of caste configuration of the 1951 census, which put the figure at around 14 per cent. During the deliberations, certain small communities were added to the list. Then also the figure did not go beyond 31 per cent," says the noted sociologist.
Professor Royburman's statement raises big question whether the Mandal Commission exercise was a complete farce. Royburman told The Pioneer, "We, the three sociologists (Professor MN Srinivas and Professor Yogendra Singh being the other two) were given the task of carrying out a survey to find the percentage of backward class population. As head of the technical committee, along with my colleagues, I had to start the survey, when we were informed that the percentage has already been fixed at 54 per cent on the basis of the 1931 census.
"We were, however, told that there was no curtailment on our travel and other expenses and we could go through the drill of carrying out a survey to reach a conclusion that the OBC population was pegged at 54 per cent mark."
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"Unhappy with this development, I along with my colleagues resigned from the Commission. When BP Mandal praised our work in his acknowledgement of the Mandal Commission Report, all of us strongly and swiftly disowned the same as we were not given any real opportunity to work for the Commission," </span>Royburman said.
The Supreme Court, last Monday, came down heavily on the Government's decision by questioning the Centre's move to implement 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in educational institutions without proper data on OBCs. The court curtly said, "You announce the policy without having the data. You play the game first and frame the rules later."
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