Ahead of the upcoming General Assembly elections scheduled for May 2019, the Union Cabinet has approved a 10 percent reservation in government jobs for the 'economically backward' upper castes. The government has announced a reservation in jobs for upper castes earning less than Rs 8 lakh per year, reported the Indian Express.

It further said that the decision will require an amendment to Article 15 and 16 of the Constitution and the Parliament is yet to approve the same. Further details on this are awaited.

A PTI report said that a 10 percent reservation in educational institutions was also approved by the Cabinet.

At present, the quota for caste-based reservation for government jobs is capped at 50 percent by the Supreme Court.