Calcutta, Sept 24: The state government today implemented its promised 10 per cent job quota for “educationally, socially and economically” backward Muslims.

It has added this quota to the existing 7 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes, raising the total OBC quota to 17 per cent.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at Writers’ Buildings that the government had taken the decision to increase the OBC job quota in February, “considering their socio-economic condition”.

“Although we took a policy decision in February, we are finding it difficult to identify all the small groups among the OBCs,” he added.

The Opposition described the government’s move as a “desperate effort” to win minority votes in next year’s Assembly polls.