Bhopal: Ahead of the Assembly elections later this year, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has increased the reservation in the state government service for Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 14 per cent to 27 per cent with immediate effect.

A notification implementing the Cabinet decision was issued on June 30 raising the total reservation in the state to 63 per cent from the present 50 comprising 16 per cent for Scheduled Castes (SCs), 20 per cent for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 14 per cent for OBCs.

The government said the decision was taken to meet the "objective of social justice for weaker section of people in the state".

Criticising government's move, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti had said the benefit of reservation should be extended on the basis of economic criteria to the deserving.

"From where would Chief Minister Digvijay Singh provide jobs to people when he himself has abolished 50,000 posts and promised the Planning Commission to abolish 80,000 posts in the years to come?" Bharti said.

PTI