Minister for Information and Publicity M P Prakash told newspersons that at the Cabinet's special meeting today, it was decided to limit the reservation benefits for SCs and STs in promotions to 15 and three per cent, respectively, after the filling up of backlog vacancies, in accordance with the Government Order (GO) of February 3.

Hailing the decision as a landmark one, the minister said ``only the J H Patel Government could have taken this decision''.

Dalit organisations in the state had been agitating for the withdrawal of the February 3 GO, he added.

Prakash said the decision to clear the backlog was also in accordance with the Supreme Court order of June 24, 1997. It was also decided that the Cabinet sub-committee headed by DeputyChief Minister Siddaramaiah -- which probed the issue of reservations for SC/STs – would look into the legal and technical ramifications of extending the benefits to Other Backward Castes (OBCs). Prakash said a decision in this regard was expected later this month or next month when the cabinet is scheduled to meet again.

Elaborating on today's decision, the minister said regarding Para 5 of the Government Order of February 3, it would be ``clarified that reservation in promotions for persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall continue to operate by applying the existing roster to the vacancies till the representation of the persons belonging to SC and ST reaches 15 (per cent) and 3 (per cent), respectively. He added that any provisions of the 1992 GO – directing the filling up of the backlog pending since 1978 and subsequently contested before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal but upheld by the Supreme Court – which the February Government Order had not taken into account wouldbe reintroduced in accordance with the Supreme Court order.