Maharashtra to ratify bill to extend SC/ST quota on Wednesday

Pic/ Bhagat Singh Koshyari's Twitter

A special one-day session of the Maharashtra legislature will be held on Wednesday to ratify
the Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill, which proposes to extend quota to SC/STs in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years.

The joint sitting of both Houses will begin with an address by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the draft of the speech being approved by the state Cabinet on Tuesday. The Constitution Amendment Bill, which was passed by Parliament on December 11, has to be ratified by at least 50 per cent of the state assemblies before it is brought into force.

The Centre's communication to Maharashtra government said the ratification should be done before January 25. The reservation for members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), given for the past 70 years in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, is due to end on January 25, 2020.

The Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature will begin on February 24.

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