Mumbai, (The Hindu): Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that the government is “extremely positive” towards providing reservations in employment and education to the Maratha community, and is strongly advocating the cause in court.

“We have also constituted a Backward Class Commission. For the first time, a Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted with all the powers of the Cabinet to take decisions from time to time,” Mr. Fadnavis said, while announcing various schemes under the Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Mission of the Annasaheb Patil Arthik Magas Vikas Mahamandal.

The Maratha community had carried out silent marches across the State last year to demand reservations. The issue is now with the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes, which is expected to submit its report soon.

The new schemes

Mr. Fadnavis said the schemes announced on Friday will not only provide employment, but will create over five lakh industrialists who will employ others. The four schemes are aimed at Maratha youth from the economically weaker sections of society. A personal loan interest refund scheme will be applicable for production, trade and sale in agriculture and allied businesses. Government-approved cooperative societies, savings groups and companies will be eligible for a group loan interest refund scheme.

A group project loan scheme will benefit people in the age group of 18 to 41 with family annual income below 8 lakh; the beneficiaries will have to link their Aadhaar numbers to bank accounts. A skill development scheme will promote self-employment and business, with 34 agro-related training options, at an estimated cost of 200 crore.

“We believe that making available employment and business opportunities is a duty of the government. Apart from the four schemes that we have launched today, we are working towards making available educational and hostel facilities,” said Mr. Fadnavis.

The quota tangle

On February 5, 2017, the Bombay High Court had told the government to clarify whether or not it wanted to send the reservation matter to the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes. In the last hearing, the government had filed an affidavit in court, saying that it had no objection if the data on record in court was made available to the commission.

The affidavit read, “The commission is fully staffed and has to take up its functions of considering and revising, if necessary, the various lists.”