The Centre has ruled out raising the reservation volume for the Other Backward Classes from the current 27 per cent, despite some political parties and caste groups demanding an increase to match the OBCs’ purported share of the population.

Minister of state for social justice Pratima Bhoumikon Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that the government had no such proposal before it at the moment. “Representations are being received from various individuals/ organisations to provide reservation for OBCs on the basis of their population. However, there is no proposal to provide 50 percent reservation for OBCs in education and employment,” she said, replying to a question from YSR Congress member V. Vijaysai Reddy.

Reddy had asked whether the government would increase OBC reservation to 50 per cent. The MP had last week said the OBCs makeup more than 50 per cent of the population and urged the government to increase their quota volume proportionately.