New Delhi: In a move that will cover more candidates from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) under the ambit of quota reservations, the Union Cabinet today raised the income criteria for creamy layer from Rs.2.5 lakhs to Rs.4.5 lakhs per annum.

A statement by the Union Cabinet said, "The Cabinet has revised the income criteria to exclude socially advanced persons/sections (Creamy Layer) from the list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs)."

Information & Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said, "The Union Cabinet has given its approval to revise the income criteria for the creamy layer from the present Rs.2.5 lakhs per annum to Rs.4.5 lakhs per annum."

The Cabinet's decision will be communicated to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and Department of Personnel & Training for issuing appropriate orders to central educational institutions.

The move was mooted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on the basis of recommendations of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).

The Central Government, had, in 1993, fixed the ceiling for OBC reservation at Rs.1 lakh per annum. It was revised to Rs.2.5 lakhs in 2004.