MARGAO
A delegation of Bhandari Samaj leaders called on BJP State President Damu Naik on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum demanding a caste-based census for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Goa.
In the memorandum, former ministers Dilip Parulekar and Mahadev Naik expressed concern that OBCs in Goa are being deprived of socio-economic and political benefits due to incorrect and inadequate population data for more than a decade.
“The OBCs, comprising 19 castes, form about one-third of the state’s population. Considering the socio-economic and political backwardness of the community, the government has extended reservations to OBCs. There is a need to conduct a comprehensive caste-based census in Goa. The last such exercise was carried out during the 2011 census, and it is critical to update the data in line with current socio-economic realities,” they said.
The BJP State President gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured them that he would take up the matter with the government.
