Bihar tells officials: exclude parents' salary, farm income from creamy-layer test
Bihar's GAD directs district magistrates to exclude parents' salary and agricultural income while assessing the Rs 8 lakh creamy-layer ceiling.
The Bihar government has issued a fresh directive to all district magistrates, clarifying that the salaries and agricultural income of an applicant's parents must not be counted when determining whether a person falls under the creamy layer among backward classes.
The instruction, sent by the General Administration Department (GAD) on September 1, reiterates the central government's 1994 guidelines on the subject. The clarification follows complaints about incorrect determination of creamy layer status and errors in issuing Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) certificates.
According to the letter, the Rs 8 lakh annual income ceiling for the creamy layer applies strictly to income from sources such as private business, rent, professional services, or capital investments. The GAD has asked officials to ensure strict compliance with the central directive that excludes parental salary and agricultural earnings from this calculation.
The department has also sought to simplify the application process. While caste, residence, and income details are required for issuing NCL certificates, applicants need not obtain separate documents for each. The NCL certificate, which contains all these details, can be recognised as both a Caste and a Residence Certificate, the letter stated.
The clarification comes amid heightened political debate over reservation policies in Bihar. The state's caste-based survey (2022-23) recorded 36.01 per cent Extremely Backward Classes (including Muslims) and 27.12 per cent Other Backward Classes. However, no official figure exists for the creamy-layer population — those excluded from NCL status due to income exceeding the threshold.
The issue has also entered political discourse, with Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav recently challenging Scheduled Caste leaders Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi to contest from unreserved seats if they support sub-categorisation of SC quotas. Paswan opposes sub-categorisation while Manjhi supports it.