A RECASTE SURVEY

The West Bengal government's decision to conduct a fresh survey to identify Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has reignited the debate over reservation policies, social justice and political strategy.

- By Arkamoy Datta Majumdar

The move follows the Calcutta High Court's May 2024 ruling that scrapped the state’s classification of 113 communities—predominantly Muslim—as OBCs, on grounds that religion seemed to be the criterion for their inclusion.

The West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes has now engaged two independent bodies—the Culture Research Institute (CRI) and the Bureau of Applied Economics and Statistics (BAES)—to conduct the fresh survey based on applications received from communities seeking OBC status.

Once the commission receives such applications, it conducts a survey itself or through designated agencies. Based on the results, the commission holds hearings before forwarding its recommendations on whether to classify a community as backward.

In this case, the CRI has prepared the questionnaire for the survey, while the BAES has devised the methodology. The survey is designed to assess the backwardness of a community in terms of education, economic condition and social standing. The criteria for determining backwardness align with the Mandal Commission's prescribed 11-point framework. A score below 11 indicates the community is not considered backward; a score between 11.5 and 15 denotes backwardness; and a score above 15.5 classifies the community as more backward. This scoring method has historically informed the categorisation of OBCs into groups A and B, a system the high court has for now overturned.