The Maratha quota stir has found a defining face since Manoj Jarange-Patil launched his agitation from Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna on August 29, 2023, and has maintained a sustained pressure on the state government to issue Kunbi certificates to the eligible in the community to enable them to secure reservation at educational institutions and jobs in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.

The Maratha quota stir has found a defining face since Manoj Jarange-Patil launched his agitation from Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna on August 29. (HT Photo)

The state government claims to have issued 1.4 million Kunbi certificates from the 5.8 million Kunbi-related documents collated over the last three years.

While 3,50,000 Kunbi certificates have been validated by a special committee, set up to scrutinise the names of the applicants, an equal number of certificates under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2023, which provides a dedicated 10% reservation for Marathas who are not covered under the OBC category, have been issued over the last three years.

While the activist continues to insist on blanket Kunbi certificates for all Marathas on the basis of the 5.8 million Kunbi records collated by the government, members of the Maratha community have begun reaping benefits in jobs and education.

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Here are profiles of people whose lives were impacted by gaining Kunbi certificates, as well as those ineligible for Kunbi certificates who had to exit the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota to enter the SEBC category.