Hello Aspirant,

Hope you are doing well.

The number of backward castes and communities was 3,743 when the Mandal Commission was established in 1979–80, according to the original list. In 2006, the National Commission for Backward Classes reported that the number of backward castes on the Central list of OBCs had risen to 5,013 (excluding data for most of the Union Territories) from a previous total of 4,000 in 2001. For the purpose of identifying OBCs, the Mandal Commission established 11 indicators or criteria, four of which were economic in nature.

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