The policy decision has been taken and it awaits approval of the Cabinet on September 22, Bhattacharjee said on Sunday while inaugurating a Haj House-cum-Empowerment Centre at Kaikhali near Kolkata Airport. In effect, after September all advertisements for government jobs will mention that there will be reservation for OBC Muslims.

The move will go a long way in winning back the support of the Muslim community whom the state government antagonised over the years resulting in a dent in Muslim vote bank.

"If SC and ST population can come under reservation, why not the minorities like Muslims?" Bhattacharjee said, adding that the state government was encouraged by recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission in this regard.

The state has 2.2 crore Muslim population and most of the remaining people will come under reservation soon, according to Abdus Sattar, Minister of State for Minority and Madrasa Education. "Fifty-two groups are already in the OBC community and others are going to be included soon."

When the plan is implemented Muslims will be entitled to a 7-per cent reservation in government jobs. However, since Bhattacharjee had announced for a 10-per cent reservation for Muslims, it was not clear where the remaining 3 per cent will come from.

The Rs 10-crore Haj House is the second of its kind in the state after the one in Park Circus, which made West Bengal the only state to have two Haj Houses for the benefit of Haj pilgrims, he said.

Bhattacharjee said there was need for such a facility to cater to the growing number of Haj pilgrims in the state. While 1,410 pilgrims went to Haj in 1985, the number rose to 10,272 in 2010.

Bhattacharjee said "minorities were not living in anybody's mercy" and the government had given approval for starting 12 English-medium madrasas.