On Thursday, Rajya Sabha approved the Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill which was passed by Lok Sabha on 10 December. The bill was passed in the Upper house with all the 163 votes in favor and none against it.
The bill intends to extend the reservation for the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, given for the past 70 years in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, to further 10 years. It also includes representation of the Anglo-Indian community in the form of nominations in Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies. However, it does not extend the reservation for the Anglo-Indian community which is about to expire on 25 January 2020 which was justified by the government stating that there are only 296 Anglo-Indians in the country.
The Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill seeks to extend the reservation quota for the SC/ST till 25 January 2030, which was due to expire on 25 January 2020.
