Maharashtra cabinet accepts panel report on SOP for granting Kunbi-Maratha certificates

Mumbai, Sep 30 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Monday accepted the second and third reports of the Justice Shinde committee, set up to finalise the protocol for issuing Kunbi-Maratha and Maratha-Kunbi certificates based on historical records.

Kunbi (an agrarian community) is classified under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) segment in Maharashtra.

With the assembly polls looming, the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cleared 38 proposals, some of them related to strengthening road and metro rail infrastructure in Mumbai and surrounding areas.

The Justice Sandeep Shinde (retd) committee had submitted its second report last December, which was not officially accepted by the state government.

The acceptance of the Shinde panel report by the state cabinet on Monday is seen as a significant move to placate the Maratha community protesting for inclusion in the OBC category, amid a backlash by backward communities.

The state cabinet also approved a revised proposal of Rs 12,200 crore for the Thane Ring Metro project and green-lighted a proposal to raise Rs 15,000 crore through loans for the Thane-Borivali tunnel route, the government stated.

The state government has been holding a string of Cabinet meetings, anticipating the announcement of the election schedule and the code of conduct.

In the previous meeting of the council of ministers held on September 23, the government cleared a proposal to include three Kunbi sub-castes in the Other Backward Classes segment.

A total of 24 decisions were taken in the previous cabinet meeting including the continuation of a subsidy of Rs 7 per litrr for cow milk producers, officials had said.