The central government appointed a Commission in 1978 to consider and recommend means to improve the conditions of the backward classes. This was the second time since Independence that the government had appointed such a commission and came to be known as the Second Backward Classes Commission and popularly known asthe ‘Mandal Commission’, after the name of its Chairperson, Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal. The Mandal Commission was set up to consider the extent of educational and social backwardness among various sections of Indian society and recommend ways of identifying these ‘backward classes’. The commission also had to recommend means to end the backwardness. The Commission gave its recommendations in 1980. The Commission recommendedreserving 27 per cent of seats in educational institutions and government jobs for these groups. The Mandal Commission also made many other recommendations such as land reforms to improve the conditions of the OBCs.