The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday made domicile status mandatory to avail the 35% reservation granted to women in state government jobs, reported The Indian Express.

Women who are not residents of Bihar could avail the quota in government jobs till now. The decision to make domicile mandatory was made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna, India Today reported.

The announcement came ahead of the Assembly elections expected to be held in Bihar in October or November.

Additionally, the state government on Tuesday also announced the formation of a Bihar Youth Commission, a statutory body aimed at providing employment opportunities to the state’s residents.

“To provide more employment opportunities to Bihar’s youth, train them, and make them empowered and capable, the government has decided to constitute the Bihar Youth Commission,” said the chief minister in a social media post. “The Cabinet has given its nod for this today.”

The commission will advise the state government on matters related to youth welfare. It will comprise a chairperson, two vice-chairpersons and seven members, with a maximum age limit of 45.