Latest news with #ArunSahoo
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJD, Congress seek announcement of modalities for caste census
BHUBANESWAR : The Opposition BJD and Congress on Monday demanded that the Centre as well as the state government announce the modalities based on which the caste census will be done the next year. Former minister and convenor of the BJD OBC cell Arun Sahoo said the Centre should first announce the criteria. 'The caste census should contain social, economic and educational status of the OBC people. This will allow the governments to find out the economic condition, and educational and social status of the OBCs,' he said adding, this way government intervention would be easier. Welcoming the decision of the Centre for caste enumeration, Sahoo said BJD had been demanding it from the beginning. 'But it took more than two decades for the BJP to realise that unless caste enumeration is done, there can be no real development,' he added. Echoing similar demands, former union minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena said, 'A caste census will justify the demand of the OBCs for 54 per cent reservation in jobs as well as education. The state government should also initiate steps for lifting of 50 per cent cap on reservation imposed by the Supreme Court.'
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJD to stage protest near Raj Bhavan on May 21
BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Friday announced that it will stage a demonstration in front of the Raj Bhavan on May 21, demanding 27 per cent reservation for socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) in all educational institutions including medical, engineering and technical courses. Addressing the media, party leaders Arun Sahoo, Sanjay Das Burma, Pratap Jena and Pradeep Majhi said 11.25 per cent reservation announced by the state government in non-technical and general educational institutions will not help the SEBC students as a large number of seats in colleges are remaining vacant. 'The government has cheated the SEBCs by announcing reservation for vacant seats and describing it as a historic decision,' they said. Senior party leader Ranendra Pratap Swain also held a separate media conference and voiced his opposition. The leaders said that the party had raised the demand for 27 per cent reservation for SEBCs through an adjournment in the February-March budget session of the Assembly.
