Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has decided to abolish most of the quotas for government jobs that have sparked widespread protests and unrest in the country, Asian media reported.
The Supreme Court in its judgement decided to allocate 93 per cent of government jobs through a merit-based system, leaving the remaining 7 per cent for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence and other categories.
Earlier, the system reserved 30 per cent of such jobs for relatives of war veterans. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government cancelled the quota system in 2018, but a lower court reinstated it last month after relatives of 1971 war veterans filed petitions.
The reinstatement of the system sparked protests and a subsequent government crackdown. A curfew was imposed amid the protests.
Students consider the quotas discriminatory and criticise the government for not doing enough to combat unemployment. In a country of 170 million people, 32 million young people do not have jobs or vocational training.
On July 20, Bangladesh police were reported to have used live ammunition against protesters. At least 114 people are missing as a result of the protests, according to the latest figures.
