Wooing OBCs ahead of Maharashtra Election 2024

In what is said to be its last weekly meeting of the current term, the Maharashtra Cabinet mulled over a variety of matters and gave its nod to a record number of 50 decisions, many of which attempted to tap the voters belonging to diverse social strata that is part of the other backward classes and Muslims ahead of the Assembly elections. Thursdays could be the last meeting of the Shinde Cabinet unless the chief minister (CM) decides to convene the next before the election schedule is announced before or after Dussehra.

Change income cap

Since OBCs have been the BJP's backbone in the state in terms of its electoral success, the government addressed a concern related to the cap on the household's annual income that offers quota benefits to the non-creamy layer families. The incomes of working parents, who do not belong to the forward class category, have increased over the past many years taking their annual earnings beyond a cap of Rs 8 lakh to qualify them as creamy layer. OBCs get a quota in education, jobs, and politics. But the creamy layer excludes them from the quota benefits. The cabinet recommended to the Centre that the cap be increased to Rs 15 lakh per annum per household.

Corporations for OBC castes

The cabinet continued the trend of establishing caste-specific economic development corporations. On Thursday, it made the provision for Shimpi, Gawli, Ladshakhiya Wani-Wani, Lohar, and Nathpanthiya castes. The corporations will have R50 crore each as the seed investment to begin with. They have been named after the saints and seers belonging to the respective castes.

Muslims get attention

The state capital investment in the Maulana Azad Minority Economic Development Corporation was increased to Rs 1,000 crore from Rs 700 crore. The corporation provides loans and finance for the minorities. The cabinet approved a proposal to hike the honorarium of the Madrasa teachers who are qualified with degrees and diplomas in education. These contractual teachers are assigned subjects such as mathematics, general science, social science, Hindi, Marathi, and Urdu under the Madrasa modernisation scheme that includes subjects apart from the traditional/religious ones. The diploma holders will get Rs 16,000/month (previous Rs 6,000) and degree-holders will get Rs 18,000/month (previous Rs 8,000).