CM announces ` 736cr package for OBCs, nomadic tribes

After pleasing the Maratha community by granting them a 16 per cent quota in education and employment, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party government on Tuesday took several decisions to please the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, which forms the party base. The state cabinet approved a package of Rs 736 crore for the welfare of OBCs, the Special Backward Classes (SBCs) and the Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT).

The state government had awarded 16 per cent quota to the Marathas in November 2018. “The OBCs have been the vote bank of the BJP since it was founded. The popular formula, ‘MADHAV’ -- a term combining the Mali, Dhangar and Vanjari communities, coined by the late Gopinath Munde, has worked well for the party, when it comes to gaining power in the state. So we cannot leave these communities alone when it comes to political decisions,” said a senior BJP minister.

Ram Shinde, the minister for OBC, VJNT and SBC, said the cabinet had approved a package of Rs 736 crore for the OBC, which covers 346 castes in the state. The VJNT includes 44 castes and tribes, while the SBC comprises seven castes. The combined community comprises over 50 per cent of the state's population.

Shinde said, “This is not a political decision. We have cleared pending issues which were not resolved by the erstwhile government. The government plans to provide financial support to those youths from the economically backward classes who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs, through various financial development corporations.” The state has approved a grant of Rs 250 crore to the Maharashtra State Other Backward Class Finance and Development Corporation, while a Rs 300 crore grant has been sanctioned for the Vasantrao Naik Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes Development Corporation for the next three years. Various schemes would be implemented through these corporations. A young entrepreneur from the backward classes would get Rs one lakh as a personal loan instead of just Rs 25,000, with the state paying the interest amount if he has personal loans up to Rs 10 lakh and group loans up to Rs 50 lakh.

A grant of Rs 100 crore will be provided to increase the productivity of the traditional business of core entrepreneurs in rural areas (Bara Balutedars), while aspecial scheme will be implemented for the financial and social development of the most-neglected Wadar, Pardhi and Ramoshi communities.

Rs 51 crore will be kept aside for hostel facilities in each district, in view of the educational needs of the girls and boys from the VJNT, OBC and SBC.