The Hindu : Quota for promotions in Central services must: CM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 11, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Quota for promotions in Central services must: CM

HYDERABAD, JAN. 10. The Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has said reservation should be extended to cover promotions for top posts in Central services.

"This is a must," Mr. Naidu said while inaugurating a national seminar on `Reservation policy and socio-economic development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes' here on Saturday. This exercise was being implemented in the State Government, he noted.

Mr. Naidu said the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was best authority to solve the problems faced by these sections, and promised to take up the matter with him. The Union Ministers -- Bandaru Dattatreya, Sangh Priya Gautham and Sanjay Paswan -- described Mr. Vajpayee as the `hope' of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Mr. Dattatreya said reservation was not a charity given by any political party but it was a right. Referring to the Supreme Court verdict

on the other than backward classes reservation case, which went against reservation in promotions, he said it was like removing a bigger limb when the patient approached for surgery of a smaller one. He appealed to judges to be humane while dealing with the poor.

M. Jagannath, general secretary, SC/ST MPs Forum, delivered the key-note address while B.N. Gnana Prakash, chairman, National Forum for SC/ST Organisations, presided. A report presented by G. Shankar, convener of the forum, listed out various demands, including reservation in the private sector and defence and judicial departments in the Government, enlisting reservation in promotions, enhancement of income limit for sanction of scholarships, regularisation of contract labour and filling of backlog posts.

P. Shiv Shankar of the Congress, P. Ramaiah of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), G. Sampath Kumar, Narain Singh Kesari, members, National SC/ST Commission, Ch. Sambamurthy, member, National Commission for Safai Karmacharis, members of Parliament committee on SCs/STs, K. Shanta Reddy, member, National Women's Commission, Justice K. Punnaiah, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh SC/ST Commission, the State Ministers -- J.R. Pushpa Raju, and P. Babu Mohan - participated.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh