The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) became a constitutionally recognised body with complete powers being granted to it for safeguarding the rights and interest of other backward classes, after the Lok Sabha unanimously passed the Constitution (123rd Amendment) bill, 2017, on 2nd August 2018.
This decision to pass the bill will bring the NCBC on par with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
The bill was passed with all 406 members present in the house voting in favour of it, after a debate lasting more than five hours. The bill was pitched as an ‘alternate amendment’, with a two third majority, superseding the amendments adopted by the Rajya Sabha. N.K. Premachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, pointed out that this was the first time an alternative amendment was brought in the house.
Several members demanded a census to find out more about the OBCs while some others pressed for making the socio-economic survey of 2014 public, during the debate.
The Rajya Sabha had previously made amendments to the bill, increasing the size of the 3 member NCBC to that of 5 members, with one representation for women and the other representation for minorities. It was also mandated that the 5 members belong to the OBC category.
The states are given a significant role in making recommendations to the list of Other Backward Classes. Thawar Chand Gehlot, the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister piloted the bill, assured the House that states will continue to have the right to prepare the list, but the Commission will take the final decision if the states want a certain community in the central list.
A committee under Justice G Rohini had been set up for examining the sub-categorisation of the OBCs, according to Gehlot.
The passage of the bill followed a day after the Union Cabinet approved a bill to amend the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to restore the original provisions of the law. The move was met by protests from Dalit groups, Opposition parties and the ruling BJP‘s own allies over watering down of some of its provisions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present during the voting, congratulated Thawar Chand Gehlot for successfully piloting the bill.