The Maharashtra cabinet on Monday accepted the second and third reports of the Justice Shinde committee, set up to finalise the protocol for issuing Kunbi-Maratha and Maratha-Kunbi certificates based on historical records.
According to the findings of the committee, 1,76,000 Kunbi records have been discovered so far. The cabinet has instructed that action be taken based on the observations and recommendations in the report.
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The committee has proposed a simplified process for obtaining Kunbi certificates, and the state government will soon issue a government resolution (GR) aligned with these suggestions. Previously, only a few of the 10 required documents were needed to obtain a Kunbi certificate, but now, with the list expanded to 42 documents, it has become easier for the state government to gather the necessary proof.
After the cabinet meeting, Chandrakant Patil, chairman of the Cabinet Subcommittee on Maratha Reservation, stated, “We have found 1,76,000 Kunbi records. Each record can generate around 300 certificates for relatives. These individuals have now started receiving Kunbi certificates and benefiting from OBC reservations. In some cases, individuals previously considered Marathas now receive Kunbi certificates and take advantage of OBC reservations. However, issuing Kunbi certificates universally faces legal challenges. We will need to provide reservations for Marathas without disrupting the OBC reservation framework.”
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In December 2023, the committee submitted its second report after conducting extensive tours across Maharashtra, consulting district collectors and reviewing relevant documents, but it was not officially accepted by the state government. The report included 14 key recommendations, and during the cabinet meeting, various departments were instructed to implement them.