Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has stated that the Goa government will only consider any new reservation for the Bhandari Samaj after the 2027 census.
Currently, the community is covered under the 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) based on the 2012-14 population data.
He made this statement while responding to a demand raised by GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Sardesai had alleged that the BJP-led government is following a “divide and rule” policy reminiscent of the British by denying the Bhandari Samaj a separate quota within the OBC bracket.
He also demanded a fresh OBC-specific census and called the 2012 survey flawed.
However, CM Sawant defended the existing data, saying it is valid and assured the House that official representation from the Bhandari community would be considered post-2027.
Further concerns were raised by MLAs Carlos Ferreira and Sardesai about the implementation of OBC quotas in government jobs. They demanded department-wise data on reserved posts, shortfalls, vacancies, and liaison officers.
Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai, in a reply tabled in the Assembly, revealed that there are 2,141 backlog vacancies in OBC-reserved posts across various government departments.
The highest number of backlogs are reported in the Health, Police, and Education departments.
Phal Dessai stated that if a department fails to fill reserved posts even after advertising them three times, the posts are de-reserved.
The government also submitted reservation rosters and liaison officer details for each department in response to a Starred LAQ by Sardesai and Ferreira
