Union Minister Addresses Key Issues on SC/ST Reservation, Farmers' Income, and Railway Projects

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reaffirmed that the SCs and STs reservation system has no creamy layer provision, as per the Constitution. He announced the Clean Plant Program for farmers' income and highlighted significant housing plans and railway projects approved by the Union Cabinet.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized on Friday that the creamy layer provision does not exist within the reservation system for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), as outlined in the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar. Vaishnaw's remarks came shortly after the Supreme Court affirmed that states could sub-classify SCs and STs and develop a mechanism to exclude affluent members from affirmative action benefits.

In a detailed discussion chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet scrutinized the Supreme Court judgment on the sub-categorization of reservations for SCs and STs. Vaishnaw reiterated that the NDA government adheres to Ambedkar's constitutional framework, which does not accommodate the concept of a creamy layer within SC/ST reservations.

Addressing farmers' issues, Vaishnaw unveiled the Clean Plant Program, aimed at boosting farmers' income by tackling plant virus challenges through the establishment of nine clean plant centers and 75 nurseries. He also spotlighted the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, under which 4 crore houses have been built over the last decade, with plans for an additional 3 crore homes, budgeted at Rs 3,60,000 crore. Additionally, the Union Cabinet approved eight major railway projects targeting aspirational and tribal districts, projected to cut down 767 crore kilograms of CO2 emissions, equivalent to planting 30 crore trees.