Pradhan urges Centre to include Odisha’s 108 SEBC communities in Central OBC list

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the Centre to include 108 Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) communities of Odisha in the Central Other Backward Classes (OBC) list, citing the need for parity between the state and central classifications.

In a letter to Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar, Pradhan highlighted that while these communities are recognised as OBCs at the state level in Odisha—where they are termed SEBCs—they are yet to be included in the Central OBC list. This discrepancy, he said, deprives eligible beneficiaries of central government reservations and welfare schemes.

“I would like to draw your kind attention to a matter of great significance concerning the parity between the state and central lists of Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Odisha,” Pradhan wrote in the letter dated Monday.

He noted that the absence of these communities from the central list has resulted in unequal access to opportunities in higher education, central government employment and centrally sponsored welfare programmes. Pradhan stressed that ensuring alignment between the two lists would promote social justice and equitable development.

The Union minister also pointed out that Odisha has already completed the necessary processes at the state level to identify and notify these communities as socially and economically backward. He urged the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to expedite the required examination and consultation procedures for their inclusion in the Central OBC list.

Pradhan expressed hope that the Centre would take a sympathetic and prompt view of the matter, considering the long-standing demand and its implications for lakhs of people belonging to these communities in Odisha.

The issue of inclusion of Odisha’s SEBC communities in the Central OBC list has been a persistent demand from various political parties and social organisations in the state, who argue that the current disparity undermines the intent of affirmative action policies.