📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Azonesa
Politics
Rajasthan SC, ST bodies demand creamy‑layer exclusion as four castes dominate quotas
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 30 Aug 2026, 07:03 PM
👁 3
The Rajasthan Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe commissions have urged the state to bar the creamy‑layer from reservation benefits, citing that four of the 59 recognised castes currently dominate quota allocation.
The state’s Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) commissions have formally pressed the Rajasthan government to exclude the "creamy layer" – economically advanced members of these communities – from reservation benefits. The creamy‑layer rule, intended to ensure that the most disadvantaged receive seats in education and public employment, has become a focal point of debate in the state.
In a recent representation, the commissions highlighted that out of the 59 castes listed under the reservation schedule, four castes have come to occupy a disproportionate share of the allotted quotas. Data presented to the government shows that these four groups are effectively cornering the benefits, leaving other marginalized castes with limited access.
The commissions argue that tightening the creamy‑layer criteria will prevent economically better‑off individuals from monopolising the quota and will promote a more equitable distribution among all eligible SC and ST communities. They have requested the state to review and amend the existing guidelines before the next round of admissions and recruitments.
State officials have acknowledged receipt of the submission and indicated that the matter will be examined in the upcoming policy review committee. If implemented, the exclusion could reshape the reservation landscape in Rajasthan, aiming for broader inclusion of historically under‑served groups.
In a recent representation, the commissions highlighted that out of the 59 castes listed under the reservation schedule, four castes have come to occupy a disproportionate share of the allotted quotas. Data presented to the government shows that these four groups are effectively cornering the benefits, leaving other marginalized castes with limited access.
The commissions argue that tightening the creamy‑layer criteria will prevent economically better‑off individuals from monopolising the quota and will promote a more equitable distribution among all eligible SC and ST communities. They have requested the state to review and amend the existing guidelines before the next round of admissions and recruitments.
State officials have acknowledged receipt of the submission and indicated that the matter will be examined in the upcoming policy review committee. If implemented, the exclusion could reshape the reservation landscape in Rajasthan, aiming for broader inclusion of historically under‑served groups.