Bhubaneswar, Oct 7: The Odisha government has constituted a commission to examine the representation and political backwardness of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) in local self-government institutions across the state.

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

The State ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department issued a notification regarding the formation of the commission on Wednesday.

The commission will be headed by Justice Pramath Patnaik, retired judge of the Odisha High Court. Retired IAS officer Vijay Kumar Prusty will serve as a member, while Sujata Mishra, Special Secretary of the department, will be the Member-Secretary.

The commission will examine the proportion of SEBC citizens in relation to the total population in rural and urban local bodies, including panchayats and municipalities. It will also assess their political representation and study the nature and implications of their political backwardness in these institutions.

The study is expected to help the state government formulate appropriate measures to ensure suitable representation and protect the rights of SEBC citizens in local governance.

The move follows other measures taken for the welfare of the community. Earlier, the state government provided 11.25% reservation for SEBC students in professional higher education institutions, including engineering and medical colleges.

The commission’s findings are expected to provide a basis for further policy measures concerning SEBC representation in Odisha’s grassroots governance system.