Bengal to adopt Ranganath Mishra Commission recommendations

Kolkata, Feb 8 (IANS) West Bengal's Left Front government Monday decided to adopt the Ranganath Mishra Commission's recommendations for the betterment of economically, socially and educationally backward minority Muslims in the state.

"We have decided to adopt the Ranganath Mishra Commission's recommendations and will implement that in our state for the minority Muslims. We don't know when the Union government will implement the committee's report but we are doing it in our state before the centre," Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told a press conference here.

He said the state government would provide 10 percent reservation to the economically, socially and educationally backward minority Muslims and include them in the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category.

"Presently there are only seven percent reservations for the OBCs in our state but with the inclusion of backward minority Muslims this figure will go up to 17 percent.

"The creamy layer, those who have an annual income of Rs.4,50,000, will not be included in the category," he said.

Bhattacharjee said the state government would form a committee involving the Backward Class Welfare (BCW) department, Backward Class Welfare Commission, Minority Development Department and Minority Development Commission.

"We will identify the minority Muslims as early as possible and work out all necessary modalities to implement the committee's suggestions in detail. To start with, it will be the preservation of jobs for the minority Muslims," the chief minister said.