Mumbai: The Maharashtra Cabinet accepted the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission’s report on the backwardness of the Maratha community in its Sunday meeting. This has cleared the way for a bill on Maratha reservation. The state government will now introduce the bill in both Houses in order to allot 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community.

Speaking about the Cab-inet’s decision, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his government is fully prepared to face the Opposition in the legislature, and his colleagues would lay the work done by his government before the people.

The Maharashtra gover-nment has created a new category for Socially and Economically Backward Castes (SEBC) in order to clear the quota. This was recommended by the backward commission in its report submitted to the state government on November 15. While clearing the bill, the state government had cited ‘extraordinary circumstances’ and also clarified that the rights of OBCs or Marathas would not be allowed to take a hit.

The state government has declared that the bac-kward commission’s repo-rt, as well as the Maratha reservation bill, will be presented in the legislative Houses this week.

The state’s Winter Sessi-on will commence from Monday. On Wednesday, the state government is likely to bring the bill before the Assembly. As all political parties have already voiced support for Maratha reservation, the bill is likely to be passed in this week itself.

A commission, which was led by former Justice M.G. Gaikwad, submitted its report to the state’s chief secretary, D.K. Jain, on November 15.

The commission found that the Maratha community is economically backward. The Bombay high court had asked the state government to submit its say on Maratha reservation, and the formation of the commission by the state government was in response to the demand for Maratha reservation.

The Cabinet decision will have major political implications in coming general as well as Assembly elections.