Karnataka Cabinet approves internal quota, slicing SC reservation into three categories
The decision comes just over a year after the Supreme Court allowed internal reservation to be provided among Scheduled Castes. Government sources said that an ordinance with this regard will be promulgated after the Monsoon session, and prioritisation of categories will be spelt out.
However, in what is seen as succumbing to Dalit right and touchable castes, the State Cabinet decided to drop 1% reservation to nomadic castes (the most disadvantaged) and 1% reservation given to Adi Karnataka, Adi Dravida and Adi Andhra, as recommended by the one-man commission headed by retired judge H.N. Nagamohan Das. The commission, which submitted its report on August 4, had recommended 5% reservation to Dalit Right, 6% to Dalit Left and 4% to touchable castes.
From the five categories recommended by the commission, the Cabinet brought it down to three. Following the Cabinet decision, the Category E for AK, AD and AA as recommended by the commission will be merged with Dalit Right, while Category A recommended by the commission will go with touchable castes.
While the commission has recommended categories based on backwardness besides the population as directed by the Supreme Court, the merger of Category A and Category E with touchables and Dalit Right, respectively, will now put most backward communities with relatively well off communities in terms of socio, economic and educational backwardness.
Though the special Cabinet meeting was first scheduled for Saturday, it was postponed to Tuesday owing to lack of consensus, and Home Minister G. Parameshwara had been having parleys with five other Dalit ministers, and leaders to bring about a consensus. Retired Dalit officials, it is learnt, also played a part in the exercise. The Dalit Right groups and the touchable communities had opposed the categorisation since they felt their quota within the broader reservation had come down.
Emerging out of Cabinet, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil termed the meeting as 'fruitful'. 'We have come out of Cabinet meeting happily. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will make a statement with this regard in the Legislature on Wednesday,' he said.
Kannada and Culture and Backward Classes Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said that for the purpose of internal reservation, the Cabinet has agreed to have three categories. When asked about disadvantaged communities being clubbed with better off communities, he said, 'This is a historic decision taken under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. We are all together. Nobody will be left behind. Earlier, all communities were competing as a pool of 101 castes.'
The commission after a two-month-long survey that started on May 5 covered 94% of the estimated 1.16 crore Scheduled Castes population in the State. However, it could cover just about 54% of the estimated 13 lakh population in Bengaluru City limits.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Karnataka Cabinet decides to provide internal reservation among SCs
Agency: Bengaluru, Aug 19 (PTI) The Karnataka cabinet on Tuesday night decided to provide internal reservation among Scheduled Castes by categorising 101 castes among them into three categories, official sources said. In a special meeting, the Cabinet discussed the recommendations of the Justice H N Nagmohan Das Commission report, aimed at providing internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SCs). The commission had submitted its 1,766-page report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 4, and it was placed before the cabinet on August 7. The internal reservation is aimed at slicing up the 17 per cent reservation matrix given to 101 scheduled castes. According to sources, the cabinet decided to accept the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission's report, but made some alterations. Of the 17 per cent reservation that SCs have in the state, as per the internal reservation formula evolved by the Cabinet, the SC (Right) and SC (Left) will get 6 per cent each, while the 'touchable' Dalit communities (Lambani, Bhovi, Korma and Korcha) and most backward and nomadic communities got 5 per cent quota. The commission's report was not officially made public. Speaking to reporters, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the Cabinet meeting had been 'fruitful" and ministers representing all SC communities are satisfied. 'The cabinet meeting went on for about two-and-a-half hours.. All of us have come out of the cabinet hall happy and satisfied. The state legislature is in session, and there is no scope for revealing details. The chief minister will make a statement on behalf of the government on the floor of the House tomorrow," he said. However, Minister for Backwards Class Development Shivaraj Tangadagi confirmed that internal reservation has been decided upon by making three groups among SCs — right, left and others. He termed the cabinet decision 'historical". 'Reservations provided for these three categories are six, six and five per cent, respectively. After a detailed discussion, we all accepted it. 'The most backwards communities categorised under group A by the commission, have been added to the group of 'Touchable' Dalits (Bhovi, Banjara, Korma and Korcha). While group E of the commission have been added to group B and C," he added. According to sources, most backwards and nomadic communities are apparently not happy with the decision. The government, in November last year, set up the Justice Nagmohan Das commission to recommend internal reservation among SCs by gathering empirical data. This came after the Supreme Court last year allowed states to provide internal reservation, and the Karnataka Cabinet agreed to implement internal reservation. In a landmark verdict delivered by the Supreme Court on August 1 last year, it held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward. PTI KSU NSD NSD view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Cabinet nod to Rs 8,300cr Bhubaneswar bypass road project; to ease congestion on NH-16
Bhubaneswar: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the construction of a six-lane access-controlled 'Capital Region Ring Road' — Bhubaneswar bypass stretching 110.875km — at a total cost of Rs 8,307.74 crore. Disclosing the Cabinet decision, information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the bypass road was a long-pending demand to ease traffic congestion on NH-16 between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, part of the Golden Quadrilateral project. "It's a very important project and part of the Prime Minister's Purvodaya vision," the minister said, adding it will be a very modern project, with construction to be completed in two and a half years. The project cost includes the repair and maintenance cost for 15 years. CM Mohan Charan Majhi said, "The landmark infrastructure project will significantly strengthen connectivity, decongest major urban centres, enhance logistics efficiency, and open new avenues for economic growth and prosperity in Odisha and the eastern region." The project will be executed in the hybrid annuity mode (HAM), which is a public-private model in which the govt pays 40% of the cost during the construction phase while the developer invests the remaining 60%. The govt repays the 60% cost with interest over a period of 15-20 years after the completion of the project as annuity payments, and the developer doesn't collect tolls. Toll collection from projects developed under HAM is the responsibility of the govt. Currently, connectivity between Rameshwar and Tangi on the NH-16 experiences significant congestion due to the high traffic volumes passing through the highly urbanised cities of Khurda, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. To address these challenges, the project is proposed to be developed as a six-lane greenfield highway. The project will provide significant benefits to Odisha and other eastern states by diverting heavy commercial traffic away from Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda on the Kolkata-Chennai corridor. It will enhance the efficiency of freight movement, reducing logistics costs and driving socio-economic growth in the region. The project alignment integrates with three major national highways (NH-55 connecting Sambalpur and Cuttack, the Balangir-Khurda NH-57, and Angul-Athagarh-Krushnashyampur NH-655) and state highway (SH-65), which connects Narasinghpur with Athagarh. The ring road will provide seamless connectivity to key economic, social and logistics nodes across Odisha. Additionally, the upgraded corridor will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with 10 economic nodes, 4 social nodes, and 5 logistic nodes, providing enhanced multimodality with Khurda Road railway station, Bhubaneswar airport, and the proposed multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) at Paradip, besides the proposed Astarang port, thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region. The project will also generate around 74.43 lakh person-days of direct and 93.04 lakh person-days of indirect employment. Upon completion, the bypass will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major religious and economic centres and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development and prosperity in the surrounding regions. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Govt to criminalise promotion of online money gaming
The government plans to criminalise the offering or promotion of online money gaming and make it an offence for banks, financial institutions or individuals to facilitate fund transfers related to such activities. A bill to regulate the online gaming industry by prohibiting online money gaming was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday and is expected to be introduced in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 seeks to regulate the sector by promoting e-sports and online social games while banning online money gaming. The Bill also prohibits advertisements for money gaming platforms and prescribes penalties and fines for violations, with stricter punishment for repeat offenders. It prohibits offering, aiding, abetting, inducing or otherwise in the offering of any online money gaming service and declares it as an offence. Authorities will also be empowered to block access to prohibited games and seize related property to ensure compliance. Government sources said online money gaming is increasingly being used as a channel for money laundering, fraudulent transactions and other illicit activities, including cybercrime and terror financing. Offshore platforms have also been able to evade Indian tax and legal obligations, further complicating the situation. The absence of a central regulator has left the industry without uniform standards for content, user safety or financial practices, leaving players vulnerable and the sector without a coherent growth path. According to the government, in the absence of a clear framework, both e-sports and online social games in India continue to operate in a regulatory grey zone, restricting the sector's growth while exposing users, particularly young audiences, to various risks. Officials noted that there is currently no central authority overseeing online money gaming, while judicial interpretations of the distinction between 'games of skill' and 'games of chance' have been inconsistent, resulting in legal uncertainty and weak enforcement. The Bill will accord formal recognition and governance of e-Sports, 'enabling India to tap into the global competitive gaming ecosystem, promote sportsmanship, and open new career opportunities for youth'. The government claims that establishing institutional mechanisms for both e-Sports and online social games will support innovation, attract responsible investment, and ensure alignment with international best practices. The bill envisages the establishment of a new regulatory authority with an initial capital outlay of ₹50 crore and an annual recurring expenditure of Rs 20 crore. Implementation measures are expected to be rolled out within six months of Cabinet approval.
