Telangana constitutes panel for Muslim reservation

Hyderabad, March 3 (IANS) The Telangana government on Tuesday constituted a commission to study the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims in the state and recommend increase in the quantum of reservation for the community.

Muslims in Telangana currently enjoy four percent reservation in education and employment.

The commission has been constituted by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government as a follow-up on its poll promise to provide 12 percent reservations to Muslims.

The three-member commission to be headed by retired IAS officer G. Sudhir will submit a report to the government within six months.

An order issued by the minorities welfare department said there was a need for the study to enable the government to formulate policies for the amelioration and upliftment of Muslims to bring them on par with other sections of society.

The commission will recommend the steps to be taken to remove the impediments in the improvement of the overall social, educational, economic conditions of the Muslim Community and to provide for reservation in education and employment to poor deserving Muslims, wherever necessary.

M.A. Bari, a retired government official, will be a member while the second member will be appointed later.

Meanwhile, the state government also constituted a three-member commission to study and prepare a comprehensive report on the relative increase of Scheduled Tribes (STs) population in the state and their social and economic backwardness.

The TRS had also promised 12 percent quota for the STs.

The panel, to be headed by retired IAS officer S. Chellappa, will examine the representations of some communities for inclusion in STs.