Members at a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, November 13, on the Welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBC), urged the government to update the income limit for the "creamy layer" category, citing that the current ceiling has hindered eligible OBC candidates from joining the Civil Services.
According to a report by The Hindu, the MPs questioned officials from the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on why the income threshold — unchanged since 2017 — continues to bar candidates despite their success in clearing the UPSC examination.
The intense discussion brought together voices from across party lines, with Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Manickam Tagore, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) TR Baalu, Samajwadi Party's Ramashankar Rajbhar, and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sakshi Maharaj, all aligning on the need for an update.
As The Hindu report highlights, currently, OBC candidates seeking to qualify for the 27% reservation quota in the UPSC examination must belong to the non-creamy layer, defined as having a family income below Rs 8 lakh annually for the last three financial years. Despite inflation and changing economic conditions, this income threshold has remained unchanged, sparking calls for revision from multiple members of Parliament.
In 2023, the Parliamentary panel itself underscored this demand in a report, yet no action has been taken to date.
Expressing frustration on X on November 13, Tagore questioned the government’s delay: "Why has Modiji not raised the creamy layer income ceiling for OBCs since 2017?" he wrote, adding that many successful candidates face bureaucratic obstacles tied to verifying their non-creamy layer status, ultimately blocking their path to the Civil Services.
Tagore had also previously appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue in a letter in September, highlighting how the current verification process has obstructed qualified candidates from advancing in their careers.
