Amid the din over the Sachar committee report and the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s report advocating affirmative action for “socially and economically backward minorities”, the Human Resource Development ministry, headed by Arjun Singh, has moved in to make a specific provision for inclusion of Muslims in the OBC quota Bill.

Top sources told The Indian Express that the ministry’s step has been emboldened after the parliamentary panel gave its “considered opinion” that “interests of the socially and educationally backwards amongst the minorities may be taken care of through suitable mechanism to ensure proper access.” However, the panel’s six BJP members have opposed this and have signed a dissent note.

“The revised bill is likely to state that the backwards amongst minorities will be given the benefits of quotas, within the 27 per cent quotas for OBCs,” the source told The Indian Express.

The Sachar report has shown how Muslims constitute less than 2 per cent of the total student population in IIMs and IITs, and the enrolment figures in schools are even lower than that of SCs and STs.

The HRD ministry is expected to finalise the revised bill — keeping in view of the concerns raised by the Standing committee — and send it for Cabinet approval next week, sources said. Officials expect the Bill to be passed and become a law in this session.

The Standing committee’s position on the “creamy layer” that “at the first instance, reservation should be given to the non-creamy layer and then, if OBC seats remain vacant, they may be filled up from the creamy layer in order of merit,” has not helped the HRD ministry to take a decision on the tricky issue.

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