West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: The chief minister Suvendu Adhikari-led West Bengal cabinet Monday scrapped the assistance to the groups based on religious categorisation, effectively ending the religion-based schemes run during the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government.The BJP government has also done away with the exisiting state OBC list in accordance with the Calcutta high court judgement and would set up a panel to decide quota eligibility.A few days ago, the Suvendu goverment reportedly withdrew petition filed by Mamata government against the high court stay on state OBC list roll out.Last year on July 28, the CJI-led bench of the Supreme Court had vacated high court’s stay on implementation of the new OBC list that had a total of 140 sub-groups under OBC-A and OBC-B categories, including 80 belonging to the Muslim community.The Supreme Court had said that it was well settled that the Executive can notify such a list without passing legislation. The earlier list, which was struck down by the high court , had 113 OBC sub-groups with 77 from the Muslim community and 36 from others.“The Bengal cabinet decided to discontinue government assistance to groups based on religious categorisation from June. The government also scrapped the existing state OBC list in accordance with the Calcutta High Court judgment and will set up a panel to decide quota eligibility,” said minister Agnimitra Paul.She said schemes being implemented under religious categorisation by the departments of Information and Cultural Affairs and the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education would continue till the end of this month and would be stopped from June.Addressing a press conference after the meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna, minister Agnimitra Paul said women, who applied for citizenship under the CAA and approached tribunals for inclusion in voter rolls in the wake of the SIR exercise, will also receive ‘Annapurna’ scheme benefits.“The cabinet gave a nod to the ‘Annapurna’ scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1. It also approved a proposal to allow free travel for women in government-run buses from next month,” she said after the second meeting of the state council of ministers.The BJP, during the recent assembly poll campaign, had pledged that its government would ensure free travel for women in state-run buses and offer a Rs 3,000 monthly scheme to them, as against the Rs 1,500 provided under the previous TMC government’s “Lakhsmir Bhandar” scheme.Paul, the women and child development minister, said the government also approved the constitution of the 7th state pay commission for its employees, and staffers in allied statutory civic bodies, education boards and those working in state-run education institutions, she said.Asked whether the issue of dearness allowance was taken up in the meeting, chaired by Suvendu Adhikari, Paul said, “There was no discussion on DA today. Such discussions will be held later.”
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