 This system was introduced by the Constitution of India in 1950 and was supposed to be in place for the first 10 years, to ensure participation in politics by these groups which were deemed weak, marginalised, under-represented and needing special protection.Under 104th amendment to the Constitution of India, this reservation is to last until 2030.The population figure of Scheduled Castes in percentage terms with reference to the total population figure had increased from 14.6% in 1971 census to 16.2% in 2001 census.