Church instructs members to use ‘Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic’ tag to avail of reservation

In a pioneering determination to guarantee authorities benefits for its wide class members, the Syro-Malabar Church has instructed its members to participate the assemblage sanction arsenic “Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic” connected schoolhouse and assemblage registration forms to unafraid Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservations and associated benefits.

Previously, the religion members utilized antithetic tags specified arsenic “RC,” “RCSC,” “RCS,” and “SC”, Syrian Catholic, Roman Catholic, etc., successful the caste column. According to religion authorities, portion “Syro-Malabar” is the communal sanction utilized for interior religion purposes, lone the “Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic” tag should beryllium utilized successful government-related documents moving forward. Even though determination are nary issues successful getting an EWS certificate with existing names, the religion calls for the usage of this unified assemblage sanction arsenic per the authorities bid dated 08.07.2023.

While sections wrong the Syro-Malabar Church, similar Knanaya Catholics, Dalit Catholics, and Nadar Catholics, person intelligibly defined spiritual names successful authorities records, the “Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic” tag is aimed astatine wide class members who are eligible for authorities benefits.

Fr. Sabin Thoomullil, Director of the Aider Foundation—a assistance table nether the Thamarassery diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church—stated that astir 60% to 70% of Syro-Malabar Church members are economically backward and eligible for EWS benefits.

“However, owed to vague wide class tags, galore person been missing retired connected these benefits. The authorities antecedently conducted a survey to find the fig of forward-caste individuals eligible for forward-caste benefits. In airy of this, we needed to hole a communal sanction for our wide class members, and ‘Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic’ was selected,” Fr. Thoomullil said.

Streamlining eligibility

The clergyman added that adopting a unified caste sanction would streamline eligibility for EWS and different benefits. “The religion has already directed its members to guarantee they constitute lone the ‘Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic’ tag successful each schoolhouse and assemblage documents from present onward. The religion has already begun consciousness campaigns for this purpose,” helium said.

However, a method contented remains regarding the transition, which the religion is moving with the authorities to resolve.

“When a kid uses the ‘Syro-Malabar Syrian Catholic’ tag today, their parents’ older documents often inactive diagnostic ‘RC,’ ‘RCSC,’ oregon different tags. We are requesting that the authorities contented an bid confirming that each specified past tag names are eligible to unafraid benefits for their children. We anticipation the authorities volition contented the bid soon,” the clergyman added.

Church authorities clarified that Syro-Malabar Church members who are already receiving OBC oregon OEC reservations should proceed to usage their existing caste names successful authorities records.

According to sources, presently, wide class members of the Syro-Malabar Church bash not person immoderate preservation oregon different benefits, puportedly resulting successful the large-scale migration of Syro-Malabar younker to overseas countries. The religion expects that with the enactment of the caller caste tag, these members volition get authorities benefits, which volition assistance to forestall this large-scale migration.