Other States - Rajasthan   

Special Rajasthan session to legislate on quotas

JAIPUR: The special session of the Rajasthan Assembly convened from this coming Monday to legislate on the newly announced quotas falling beyond the 50 per cent allowed by the Supreme Court will have a single comprehensive Bill covering all the categories. The session, likely to last a week, will have three other Bills, including one on preventing violence on the personnel of the medical and health services in the State.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore, who briefed journalists on the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, refused to divulge the details of the proposed Bill, but said it was going to be an all-in-one: Rajasthan Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Economically Backward Classes Reservation Bill, 2008. Basically it is meant to provide five per cent reservation to Gujjars in a special category and another 14 per cent to EBCs (Economically backward classes) making it a total of 68 per cent.

Mr. Rathore, however, refused to reveal what transpired on the Gujjar agitation issue in the State Cabinet. “We did not discuss the issue,” he said cryptically when pointed out that the Gujjars were talking about resuming the agitation in the wake of the Government not fulfilling certain promises made to the community at the time of last month’s agreement.

The Bill on the medical personnel -- Rajasthan Medical Service Personnel and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill -- aims at stopping attacks on doctors, nurses and para-medical staff in government hospitals in the wake of a patient dying allegedly due to negligence or after not getting timely medical attention. The legislation is part of an assurance made by the State Government to the striking doctors at Sawai Man Singh Hospital, the premier hospital in the State attached to the medical college, recently.

The Bill would have a provision for imprisonment for three years and a fine up to Rs.50, 000 for anyone indulging in violence against medical personnel and destruction of hospital property, the Minister informed. States such as Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra had already enacted similar legislation, he noted.

Mr. Rathore said the Government proposed to reintroduce the Rajasthan University Temporary Teachers Bill after Governor Shailendra Kumar Singh returning it along with certain observations. Yet another Bill would be for the revision of the salaries of the members of the Rajasthan State Public Service Commission (RPSC) from the existing Rs.22,400 per month to Rs.24,500.

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

Stories in this Section

Special Rajasthan session to legislate on quotas
‘Gujjars should not be deprived of OBC benefits’
Funds for Gagron fort renovation
Two killed in fire
Rajasthan discoms’ special power drive
I-Day celebrations in Bikaner this year
Rajasthan seeks ban on cotton export

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu