In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "appointing authority" in relation to public services and posts means the authority empowered to make appointment to such services or posts ;
(b) "De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis)" means the Tribes declared as such by the Government from time to time ;
(c) "establishment" means any office of the Government or of a local authority or statutory authority constituted under any Act of the State Legislature for the time being in force, or a University or a Company, a Corporation or a Co-operative Society in which share capital is held by the Government or any Government aided Institutions.
Explanation.- For the purposes of this clause the expression "Government aided institutions" shall also include institutions or industries which have been given either prior to coming into force of this Act or thereafter, aid in the form of Government land at concessional rates or any other monetary concessions by Government, or is recognised, licenced, supervised or controlled by Government ;
(d) "Government" means the Government of Maharashtra;
(e) "Group 'A', 'B', 'C' or, 'D' " means the posts falling within the Group 'A', 'B', 'C' or, 'D', as the case may be, as classified by Government by issuing general or special orders issued in this behalf, from time to time ;
(f) "Nomadic Tribes" means the Tribes wandering from place to place in search of their livelihood as declared by Government from time to time ;
(g) "Other Backward Classes" means any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens as declared by the Government and includes Other Backward Classes declared by the Government of India in relation to the State of Maharashtra;
(h) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules framed by the Government under this Act ;
(i) "public services and posts" means the services and posts in connection with the affairs of the State and includes services and posts in,-
(i) a local authority ;
(ii) a co-operative society established under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 (Mah. XXIV of 1961), in which Government is a shareholder ;
(iii) a Board or a Corporation or a statutory body established by or under a Central or a State Act which is owned and controlled by the Government or a Government Companies as defined in section 617 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) ;
(iv) an educational institution owned and controlled by the Government, which receives grant-in-aid from the Government including a university established by or under a Maharashtra Act ;
(v) any establishment ; and
(vi) respect of which reservation was applicable by Government orders on the date of commencement of this Act and which are not covered under sub-clauses (i) to (v) ;
(j) "recruitment year" means the English calendar year during which the recruitment is actually made ;
(k) "reservation" means the reservation of post in the services for the members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis), Nomadic Tribes, Special Backward Category and Other Backward Classes ;
(l) "Scheduled Castes" and "Scheduled Tribes" shall have the meanings, respectively assigned to them in the clauses (24) and (25) of Article 366 of the Constitution of India ;
(m) "Special Backward Category" means socially and educationally backward classes of citizens declared as a Special Backward Category by the Government.