'Govt mulling minorities quota within OBC quota'

The government is considering allocation of quota to minorities within the existing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Castes in central services, Minority Affairs minister Salman Khurshid said on Friday.

Granting separate quota to the minorities within the 27 per cent being given to OBCs is under serious consideration of the Union government on the lines of a number of states, Khurshid told reporters in Lucknow.

States like Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal already have such provision. Khurshid said both the ministries for minority welfare and social justice were working together in this direction and the provisions made in these states besides various rulings of the Supreme Court and the Karnataka High Court were being studied.

The minister said his department was committed to maintaining the minority status to Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. He said that Rs 2,500 crore had been provided for the development of Muslim-dominated districts, including those in Uttar Pradesh, and another Rs 1,000

crore would be provided soon.

To a question on rising prices, the Congress leader said the central government was making serious efforts to control it and the issue was also discussed in the party's plenary session recently. Although it is an international phenomenon, efforts are on to keep it under check, he said.

On corruption, Khurshid said the government was serious about the issue, and action would be taken against all those found involved in it. Asked about the 2G spectrum scam, the minister said BJP should have welcomed the prime minister's offer to appear before the PAC rather than continuing with the stalemate.

Khurshid, also Corporate Affairs minister, said that the proposal for a new company bill was under the consideration of the Law ministry and would be presented in the next session of Parliament. Besides there is also a move to bring companies under the International Finance Reporting System in a phased manner, he said.