Odisha government to conduct survey on socio-economic conditions of backward classes ahead of elections

However, the opposition parties have criticized the state government, with BJP MLA Suryavanshi Suraj calling it "vote bank politics." Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati alleged that the BJD government has done nothing for the OBCs in the last 22 years. Meanwhile, BJD MLA Swarup Das said that the Odisha government believes in inclusive development and only BJP can say whether it has some hidden agenda or not.

The survey will be undertaken in all 314 blocks and areas under 114 civic bodies in the state. The district collectors and municipal chiefs should prepare and send their survey management plans to the Commission by the first week of March, containing district profiles, information on survey centers, enumerators, supervisors, and other survey-related officers, along with their deployment.

Odisha will be the second state after Bihar to collect data on the socio-economic conditions of people from backward classes. The state government's earlier attempt to earmark 27 percent quota for OBCs was challenged in the Odisha Administrative Tribunal as it exceeded the reservation ceiling of 50 percent in respect of ST, SC and SEBC in public employment, as laid down by the Supreme Court. It had to be brought down to 11.25 percent.