[1]GANDHINAGAR: In a major change of stand, the Gujarat government on Friday announced 10% reservation for the economically backward class in general category, including the agitating Patidar community.
As per reports, the Gujarat government’s notification for reservation will be issued on May 1.Under the new reservation rule, families with income below Rs 6 lakh per annum will be eligible for quota benefit.
Families with income below Rs 6 lakh per annum will be eligible for this reservation, Gujarat Minister Vijay Rupani said confirming the development.
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel’s government had decided to soften its stand on the issue after two key groups – Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and Sardar Patel Group (SPG) – announced to launch a major ”jail bharo andolan” in this regard.
The community had already embarked on a ‘mundan’ programme, where Patel men in villages across north Gujarat have started getting their heads tonsured as a sign of their attachment to the cause.
Anandiben Patel recently held a marathon two-and-a-half-hour meeting with a committee of ministers led by Health Minister Nitin Patel where the fresh programmes launched by PAAS and SPG and the strategy to tackle the movement were discussed threadbare.
After the meeting, the state government decided to do some damage control by announcing reservations for Patels under the Economically Backward Class (EBC) as done by the Rajasthan and Haryana governments recently, by passing bills in the state assembly.
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