The Centre is not keen to revise the income criterion of ₹8 lakh to determine the non-creamy layer among the Other Backward Classes, even as voices are being raised within the BJP over the failure to do so in nine years.

BJP Rajya Sabha member Bhim Singh on March 10 highlighted the loss to OBCs because of the delay in the revision. "The OBC creamy layer was last revised in 2017. The OBCs are losing benefits due to the delay in the revision of the creamy layer amount. It should be revised once every three years. It should be revised to ₹15 lakh, I urge the government to revise it," Singh said during Zero Hour.

OBCs are entitled to 27 per cent reservation in admission and jobs in the central sector. However, OBCs in the creamy-layer category cannot avail themselves of the reservation.

A government committee in 1993 suggested that people holding constitutional posts and entering Class-A posts before the age of 40 years fall within the creamy layer. For others, it prescribed an income or wealth criterion under which persons beyond a certain income would fall in the creamy layer category.

In a written reply, minister of state for social justice B.L. Verma said: "The revision of income limit is done on an ongoing basis from time to time. The latest order for revision of the annual income limit from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh was issued by the department of personnel and training on 13.9.2017. At present, there is no proposal for further revision of the OBC income limit."

The National Commission for Backward Classes had in October 2015 recommended increasing the creamy layer income bracket from ₹6 lakh to ₹15 lakh.