People still turn up for help at defunct OBC office

NEWDELHI: Overlooked for a government job, Ashish Kumar, an OBC from Uttar Pradesh’s Basti was in the capital to knock on the doors of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). What Kumar was hoping for was a patient hearing and recourse, what he received was news of the NCBC being defunct.

Several hours of wait and uncertainty were followed by a quick meeting with an official, who is part of the secretariat, but had little to offer.

“The file has to go to DoPT, there is no secretariat here,” the official explained to Kumar, who wore his anxiety palpably and sat clutching a bunch of documents, including his marksheet.

With a degree in information and technology, Kumar claims he scored more than the candidate, who landed the teaching job. The OBC commission was his last resort, “I am an OBC and a physically challenged person, and I also scored more than the person who was selected. No one in the state had any answers so I came here,” he told HT.

Officials part of administrative staff said many like Kumar still turn up at the desolate Trikoot building, where the NCBC has an office; only there is no help available. Positions of the chairperson, three members and a secretary are vacant at the NCBC, after the government dismantled the commission to bring in its place a new body with constitutional powers, similar to the commission for scheduled castes and tribes.