SC, ST employees to get quota in promotion at both Centre, states: Paswan
New Delhi, June 13: Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday said reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) will continue at both at the Centre and in the states and directives in this regard will be issued soon.
"There was confusion over whether the Supreme Court's order was applicable for just Central government employees or for state government employees. In our meeting of ministers, it was cleared that the reservation is for both Central and state government employees," Paswan told reporters after attending the meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The apex court had said last week that the government was not debarred from making promotions in accordance with law, subject to further orders.
On June 5, the Supreme Court permitted the Central government to go ahead with reservation in promotions to certain categories of staff in accordance with law but did not stay a Delhi High Court judgment that quashed an office memorandum on such reservations.
Paswan said the quota in promotion was halted on account of the judgements passed by different high courts in the country.
The minister also said the government was ready with an ordinance to overturn the Supreme Court's March 20 order that puts safeguards against arrests under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act but it would wait for the court's final decision on the review petitions.
He also said the University Grant Commission (UGC) will also soon withdraw its order affecting reservation soon.
Paswan also reiterated his demand of reservation for those preferring inter-caste marriages.
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At least 200 dead in Congo coltan mine collapse, authorities say, as rebels dispute toll
Goma (Congo) (AP): A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine.
The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, according to a press release from the Ministry of Mines on Wednesday.
Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused by “bombings” and only five people had been killed.
“I can confirm that what people are publishing is not true. There was no landslide; there were bombings, and the death toll isn't what people are saying. It's simply about five people who died,” Kaj said.
Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover over 200 bodies from the area.
“We are afraid, but these are lives that are in danger,” said Taluseke. “The owners of the pits do not accept that the exact number of deaths be revealed.”
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The country produced about 40 per cent of the world's coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers. Over 15 per cent of the world's supply of tantalum comes from Rubaya's mines.
In May 2024, M23 seized the town and took control of its mines. According to a UN report, since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have imposed taxes on the trade and transport of coltan, generating at least USD 800,000 a month.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Various conflicts have created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, including more than 300,000 who have fled their homes since December.
In June, the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace deal brokered by the US and negotiations continue between rebels and Congo. However, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, continuing to claim numerous civilian and military casualties.
The deal between Congo and Rwanda also opens up access to critical minerals for the US government and American companies.
A similar collapse last month killed over 200.
