The Bihar assembly on Thursday, November 9, increased quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Extremely Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes from the existing 50% to 65%. Bills providing for the same in educational institutions and government jobs were passed unanimously through voice vote.

The development came in the backdrop of a comprehensive caste survey conducted by the Nitish Kumar government

According to the bills, the quota for STs will be doubled, from 1% to 2%, while for SCs it will be raised from 16% to 20%. For EBCs, the quota will be 25%, up from 18%, while for the OBCs, it will rise from 12% to 15%.

Earlier in the day, members of the opposition BJP in Bihar assembly created a ruckus in the House over several issues including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav's controversial remarks on women forcing adjournment of proceedings till 2pm. The opposition members banged chairs meant for reporting staff and nearly came to blows with treasury benches, officials said.

Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, who adjourned the proceedings within minutes of commencement at 11 am, ordered that names of unruly members be noted down and said action would be taken against them "for trying to damage public property".

With inputs from PTI

First Published:Nov 9, 2023 3:46 PM IST