Express News Service
Maharashtra government on Thursday issued the Government Resolutions (GR) stating the Kunbi caste certificates would be issued to those Marathas from Marathawada region that possess pre-Nizam era or revenue or education documents recognising them as Kunbis.
According to the GR, the Maharashtra government constituted a five members committee under the retired judge Sandeep Shinde to fix the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the issuance of Kunbi caste certificate to Maratha who has got Maratha-Kunbi or Kunbi-Maratha caste certificate supported by the genealogy and educational documents, revenue and historical references and agreement papers from the pre-Nizam era.
“The committee should validate all these collected documents to establish Marathas from Marathawada are the Kunbi by caste. The procedure should be also fixed for the issuance of the Kunbi caste certificate to these people. The revenue officer committee that was earlier constituted will assist the committee headed by the retired judge. The committee will have to submit its report within a month to state government,” reads the GR.
Kunbis, a community associated with agriculture, are grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in Maharashtra and enjoy reservation benefits in education and government jobs. As per the Maharashtra government’s notifications of October 13, 1967, the Kunbi caste has been mentioned as a socially and economically backward caste so this caste avails the benefits of the OBC category in education and government jobs. Then, this act was amended in June 2004 where it included Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha will also avail of the same OBC category benefits and treat them as Kunbi caste only.
ALSO READ | Maratha quota stir to continue till Maha govt relaxes condition of genealogy: Manoj Jarange
The GR also reads that the appointed committee will also check and verify the mention of – Ku, Kun-Kunbi on the caste certificates and genealogy documents of Marathas. “Marathas from Marathwada whose caste certificate has the mention of Kunbi-Maratha and vice versa should be also studied and the caste certificate validation process should be also simplified so the eligible sections of the community will avail the benefits of the same. The committee under the revenue secretary will study all these documents.”
Manoj Jarange Patil who has been on hunger strike said that all Marathas are Kunbi because their traditional profession is agriculture, but over a period of time, they were denied their right due to the absence of documents and complex caste validity procedures. “Kunbi from Vidarbha and North Maharashtra region are already availing the caste – OBC benefits, so why Maratha – Kunbi from Marathwada and western Maharashtra’s are denied their rights,” Patil said.
Maharashtra government on Thursday issued the Government Resolutions (GR) stating the Kunbi caste certificates would be issued to those Marathas from Marathawada region that possess pre-Nizam era or revenue or education documents recognising them as Kunbis.
According to the GR, the Maharashtra government constituted a five members committee under the retired judge Sandeep Shinde to fix the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the issuance of Kunbi caste certificate to Maratha who has got Maratha-Kunbi or Kunbi-Maratha caste certificate supported by the genealogy and educational documents, revenue and historical references and agreement papers from the pre-Nizam era.
“The committee should validate all these collected documents to establish Marathas from Marathawada are the Kunbi by caste. The procedure should be also fixed for the issuance of the Kunbi caste certificate to these people. The revenue officer committee that was earlier constituted will assist the committee headed by the retired judge. The committee will have to submit its report within a month to state government,” reads the GR.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Kunbis, a community associated with agriculture, are grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in Maharashtra and enjoy reservation benefits in education and government jobs. As per the Maharashtra government’s notifications of October 13, 1967, the Kunbi caste has been mentioned as a socially and economically backward caste so this caste avails the benefits of the OBC category in education and government jobs. Then, this act was amended in June 2004 where it included Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha will also avail of the same OBC category benefits and treat them as Kunbi caste only.
ALSO READ | Maratha quota stir to continue till Maha govt relaxes condition of genealogy: Manoj Jarange
The GR also reads that the appointed committee will also check and verify the mention of – Ku, Kun-Kunbi on the caste certificates and genealogy documents of Marathas. “Marathas from Marathwada whose caste certificate has the mention of Kunbi-Maratha and vice versa should be also studied and the caste certificate validation process should be also simplified so the eligible sections of the community will avail the benefits of the same. The committee under the revenue secretary will study all these documents.”
Manoj Jarange Patil who has been on hunger strike said that all Marathas are Kunbi because their traditional profession is agriculture, but over a period of time, they were denied their right due to the absence of documents and complex caste validity procedures. “Kunbi from Vidarbha and North Maharashtra region are already availing the caste – OBC benefits, so why Maratha – Kunbi from Marathwada and western Maharashtra’s are denied their rights,” Patil said.
