Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today wrote to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reiterating his request for reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Government jobs and educational institutions, and for Socially Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs)in educational institutions in the state.

"Central Government has provided 27% reservation to OBCs in Government jobs as well as in educational institutions. However, even nearly thirty years of implementation of said reservations, it is difficult to decipher why Government of Odisha is not providing any such reservations to OBCs in public employment or in educational institutions and to SEBCs in educational institutions," Dharmendra said in the letter.

Most States have implemented the 27% reservation quota in their State Services and educational institutions and some States such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Bihar have raised the reservation quota to a much higher percentage in accordance with higher percentage of these special categories in their population, the Union Minister mentioned.

Pradhan also urged the Chief Minister to take immediate steps to mandate a Backward Classes Commission to undertake a scientific and quantifiable study of the SEBCs in Odisha and explore options for a higher percentage reservation in Odisha given its unique demography.