Jharkhand Cabinet approves 2 per cent reservation for primitive tribe groups in education and jobs

The Raghubar Das Cabinet has given the go-ahead for two per cent reservation to the Primitive Tribal Groups (also referred to as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups or PTGs) in education and government jobs. This has been done for the first time in a bid to help the PTGs become part of the mainstream. The PTGs have been facing the problem of stagnating or dwindling numbers over the last several years. The

proposal for giving them two per cent horizontal reservation was approved the Cabinet in a meeting held on Tuesday. Officials said that, under the provisions, the two per cent reservation would be accorded to the members of the PTG at all levels of education. So far as jobs are concerned, the two per cent reserved jobs would be filled up from among the members of the PTG, who score the minimum qualifying marks, through a process to be decided upon in due course. Those making it to the merit list need not go through the same process, the officials said.

The reservation has been provided under Articles 16 (4) and 15 (4) of the Constitution of India, which pertain to allowing the government to provide for reservation for the backward classes and socially, educationally backward classes or for the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes.