OU pays homage to late BP Mandal on his birth anniversary

Hyderabad: To commemorate the birth anniversary of B.P. Mandal, social reformer and Bihar chief minister, best known for the Mandal commission report, the BC and SC, ST Cells, Dr B.R. Ambedkar Centre, the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Centre and Mahlaqa Bai Chanda Research Centre of Osmania University paid their tributes at a programme at the administration building on the campus here on Friday.

Speaking at this occasion, OU Vice Chancellor Prof. D. Ravinder said the advancement of underprivileged classes was feasible, provided the reservations for BC communities was implemented. Prof. Ravinder said the ideas and suggestions of Mandal, chairman of the Second Backward Classes Commission, were not properly carried out.

Prof. Ravinder recalled that although Mandal had provided a report while Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was in office, it was only approved by V.P. Singh government. He said that appropriate rules, such as the cream layer cut-off, were implemented.

He emphasised the importance of implementing reservations for BC communities in politics, education, and employment and that Mandal's idea to offer reservations in proportion with their population was necessary.

He expressed the worry that the governments lacked the will to adopt BC reservations with reservations for economically depressed districts and urged the governments to ease the system.

OU registrar Prof. P. Lakshminarayana, UGC affairs dean Prof. G. Mallesham, controller of exams, Prof. Dr M. Ramulu, Director, BC Cell and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research Centre Dr Chalamalla Venkateswarlu; Director of SC and ST Cells Prof.  B. Mangu; Director of the Ambedkar Research Centre  Dr Syed Azeem Unnisa; directorf the Mahlaqa Bai Chanda Women's Research Centre Dr Ch Srinivas; OU NGO president B. Gnaneshwar, OUTA representatives were present.