**Executive Summary:**
This document is the response from the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4246, answered on August 19, 2025. It addresses the inclusion of castes in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the legislative provisions for adding or removing castes since 2014, the constitutional status and powers of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), and any proposals received for caste inclusion in the OBC list.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **OBC List:** The central list of OBCs contains 2,479 entries.
* **Legislative Provisions:**
* The 102nd and 105th Constitutional Amendments inserted and modified Article 342A, impacting the inclusion or exclusion of castes in the Central List of OBCs.
* **National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC):**
* **Constitutional Status:** The government has granted constitutional status to the NCBC.
* **Powers and Functions (as per Article 338B, Clause 5):**
* Investigating and monitoring safeguards for socially and educationally backward classes.
* Inquiring into complaints regarding the deprivation of rights and safeguards.
* Participating in and advising on socio-economic development.
* Presenting annual reports to the President.
* Making recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards and other measures.
* Discharging other functions related to the protection, welfare, development, and advancement of socially and educationally backward classes as specified by the President.
* **Powers of a Civil Court (as per Article 338B, Clause 8):**
* Summoning and enforcing attendance.
* Requiring document discovery and production.
* Receiving evidence on affidavits.
* Requisitioning public records.
* Issuing commissions for witness and document examination.
* **Caste Inclusion Proposals:**
* The inclusion, exclusion, and revision of the Central List of OBCs is an ongoing process.
* The NCBC has tendered nine advices to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment since receiving constitutional status.
**Impact Analysis:**
**Stakeholder: Socially and Educationally Backward Classes**
* *Impact:* The NCBC's powers directly affect the protection, welfare, development, and advancement of these classes. The ongoing process of OBC list revision impacts their access to safeguards and benefits.
* *Action Required:* Monitor the decisions and recommendations of the NCBC and the government related to OBC listings and safeguards.
**Stakeholder: Government (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment)**
* *Impact:* The Ministry is responsible for implementing the constitutional provisions and NCBC recommendations related to OBCs.
* *Action Required:* Consider and act upon the advices tendered by the NCBC, continue the process of revisions to the Central List of OBCs as required.
**Stakeholder: National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)**
* *Impact:* The NCBC's constitutional status and defined powers and functions provide a framework for its operations.
* *Action Required:* Execute its duties of investigation, monitoring, advising, and reporting as outlined in Article 338B.
**Stakeholder: The President of India**
* *Impact:* The NCBC presents annual reports to the president, and the president defines additional functions of the NCBC.
* *Action Required:* Review reports from the NCBC and define by rule additional functions in relation to the protection, welfare and development and advancement of the socially and educationally backward classes.
Key Entities Referenced
Other Backward Class: A category used by the Indian government to classify citizens who face social and educational disadvantages.
National Commission for Backward Classes: A constitutional body in India established to safeguard the interests of socially and educationally backward classes.
Article 342A: Article of the Indian Constitution related to the inclusion or exclusion of castes in the Central List of OBCs.
Article 338B: Article of the Indian Constitution that defines the duties and functions of the National Commission for Backward Classes.
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT: The Indian government ministry responsible for policies related to social justice and the empowerment of marginalized communities.
Central List of Other Backward Classes: A list maintained by the Indian government that specifies the castes recognized as Other Backward Classes at the national level.
DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR: Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
102nd Constitution Amendment: Indian Constitutional amendment that provided constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4246
TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.08.2025
INCLUSION OF CASTES IN OBCs
4246. DR. MANNA LAL RAWAT:
Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:
(a) the details and the total number of castes included in Other Backward Class (OBC), State and
caste-wise;
(b) the major policy and legislative provision made for adding or removing castes under OBC
category after the year 2014;
(c) whether the Government has given constitutional status to the National Commission for
Backward Classes (NCBC);
(d) if so, the details of description of the powers and functions conferred to the commission
under it;
(e) whether the National Commission for Backward Classes currently received any proposal for
inclusion of castes belonging to any State or community in OBC; and
(f) if so, the details thereof along with their current status?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
(DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR)
(a): Total number of entries in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) is 2,479.
(b): Vide 102nd and 105th Constitution Amendment, Article 342A was inserted and modified for
the purposes of inclusion or exclusion in the Central List of OBCs.
(c) & (d): Clause (5) of Article 338B provides that it shall be the duty of the National
Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC):(i) to investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the socially and
educationally backward classes under the Constitution or under any other law for the time being
in force or under any order of the Government and to evaluate the working of such safeguards;
(ii) to inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of
the socially and educationally backward classes;
(iii) to participate and advise on the socio- economic development of the socially and
educationally backward classes and to evaluate the progress of their development under the
Union and any State;
(iv) to present to the President, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem
fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards;
(v) to make in such reports the recommendations as to the measures that should be taken by the
Union or any State for the effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for
the protection, welfare and socio- economic development of the socially and educationally
backward classes; and
(vi) to discharge such other functions in relation to the protection, welfare and development and
advancement of the socially and educationally backward classes as the President may, subject to
the provisions of any law made by Parliament, by rule specify.
Clause (8) provides that the Commission shall, while investigating any matter referred to in sub-
clause (a) or inquiring into any complaint referred to in sub-clause (b) of clause (5), have all the
powers of a civil court trying a suit and in particular in respect of the following matters, namely:-
a. summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of India and
examining him on oath;
moao requiring the discovery and production of any document;
receiving evidence on affidavits;
requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office;
issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents;
any other matter which the President may by rule, determine.
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(e) & (f): The inclusion, exclusion and revision of the Central List of OBCs is a continuous
process. After getting constitutional status to till date the NCBC has tendered 09 (Nine) Advices
to Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
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