Latest news with #Bhovi
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
K'taka Bhovi 'scam': ED attaches assets of former KBDC officials
New Delhi, The Enforcement Directorate on Monday said it has attached assets worth more than ₹26 crore of two former Karnataka Bhovi Development Corporation officials as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged financial irregularities in this state-government run department. The KBDC works for the welfare of the persons belonging to the Bhovi scheduled caste. The attached properties belong to B K Nagarajappa, a former general manager of KBDC, R Leelavathy, an ex-managing director of the body, and some other accused. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to attach the assets that are worth ₹26.27 crore but have a current market value of ₹40 crore, the central agency said in a statement. Nagarajappa and Leelavathy were arrested by the ED in April as part of this investigation and they are currently lodged in jail under judicial custody. The ED alleged that the two officials, in connivance with middlemen and their associates, "misappropriated" the funds from KBDC by sanctioning the loans, subsidies and financial assistance to the bank accounts of more than 750 "fake" beneficiaries, which were "fraudulently" opened by them. Later, the amounts so sanctioned from KBDC were "diverted" to the bank accounts of various entities like Adithya Enterprises, Somanatheswara Enterprises, New Dreams Enterprises, Harntiha Creations and Annika Enterprises "controlled" by Nagarajappa and others. This money was used in the purchase of properties, making payments to middlemen and further diverted to bank accounts of individuals and various other entities, the agency claimed. "The money misappropriated from KBDC was mainly used to maintain their luxurious lifestyle and to acquire immovable and movable properties in their names and in the names of their family members," the ED said. The money laundering case stems from multiple Karnataka Police FIRs filed on charges of "misuse and diversion" of funds worth ₹97 crore from the KBDC.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Door-to-door SC survey deadline extended to May 25
The door-to-door survey being conducted to ascertain identities and population of scheduled castes in Karnataka for the purpose of internal reservation, which was to end on May 17, has been extended to May 25. While more than 70% of the households have been covered in the Comprehensive Survey of Scheduled Castes / Sub-Castes 2025, the lag in Bengaluru is one of the reasons for extension of the deadline to provide enumerators more time to cover families. As a result, the special booth-level camps will be held between May 26 and May 28. Those wishing to declare online can do so between May 19 and May 28. The extension of deadline for physical survey was announced in Bengaluru by retired judge H.N. Nagmohan Das, who heads the commission that has been tasked to recommend to the government on the vexed internal reservation issue. The commission is expected to recommend slicing up the 17 % reservation for scheduled castes among SC (left- Madiga), SC (right- Holeya) and touchable castes of Lambani, Bhovi, Korma, Korcha and Beda Jangama. According to Mr. Das, about 19.55 lakh households of about a projected 25.72 lakh SC households in Karnataka, have been covered in the survey. In terms of population, commission sources said, about 78 lakh people out of the projected 1.17 crore population has been covered. 'We are capable of reaching more than 90% of the population on time. Opportunity will be given to those who missed the door-to-door survey to participate in booth-level camp and online registration mode,' Mr. Das told presspersons in Bengaluru on May 16. Data received The commission, which will recommend internal reservation matrix based on socio, economic and educational backwardness indicators of 101 castes, has already received data to analyse representation in public employment from 40 out of 43 departments in Karnataka. The data is useful in understanding the representation each caste has got through reservation in government jobs. Mr. Das said all the State-run universities have provided the reservation benefits utilised by castes. 'To study political representation, we have received data from panchayat-level to Parliament from Election Commission of India, State Election Commission, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department. We have asked caste-based development corporations to provide a list of beneficiaries. Once the survey data is available, it will be analysed according to the parameters laid down by the Supreme Court.' Enumerators face challenges as SC survey is underway At least four castes — Mansa in Dakshin Kannada district, Madiga Dasri in Raichur district, Kambatti and Mera — are likely to be recommended by the commission for inclusion in the list of scheduled castes. 'Though they have AD or AK or AA certificates, their castes are not part of the list. We are likely to recommend to the government to include them in the scheduled list,' Mr. Das said. Mr. Das said that enumerators on the ground were encountering challenges such as people with Adi Karnataka, Adi Andhra and Adi Dravida certificates not knowing name of their original caste. Some who have AD, AK and AA certificates are not revealing their original caste because those castes are not in the SC list while some know their caste but are not revealing it. When asked what would the commission do to the category that has identified themselves with AK, AD and AA, he said, 'We will take a decision on it.' Speaking on the lag in enumeration, he said, 'The percentage of households covered is about 73 for Karnataka. In Bengaluru city limits, the coverage has been about 33% of the population, and there is a lag. We have asked the authorities to deploy more enumerators in SC dense population places, besides asking civic authorities to provide larger areas to enumerators where SC population is spread.' Since getting more government school teachers is becoming a challenge, the commission had proposed roping in of private school teachers too. Warning those obstructing the survey work in Karnataka, Mr. Das said, 'It has come to our knowledge that certain apartment complexes have not allowed enumerators inside their premises, which amounts to obstructing a public servant from discharging their duty. We have warned such RWAs of serious action. Why should we not cut off water and power connection to them for obstructing government work?' Centre seeks info on app The Union Government, which has announced a general census in 2026, has evinced interest in the app and enumeration work being conducted as part of the scheduled caste survey in Karnataka. Mr. Das said, 'Subject to verification, this could be the first such experiment in the country. The Centre has sought information on the way the app was developed by the e-governance department, and conduct of the survey itself. We have replied to them.' E-governance department Director R. Yathish said that every person interviewed by the enumerator is mapped through either Aadhaar, BPL card or caste certificate, and answers could be cross-verified on the Seva Sindhu portal. 'More than 90% will be verifiable data, which brings accuracy to the survey,' he said, adding that data is being collected both in online and offline mode on the app.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Nagamohan Das Commission urged to consider Bhovis as a caste instead of sub-caste
A delegation of leaders belonging to the Bhovi community met retired judge H.N. Nagamohan Das, who is leading the commission on internal reservation for scheduled castes, and urged him to ensure that the Bhovis are considered as a caste instead of a sub-caste during the ongoing survey. The commission is conducting a survey of all the 101 scheduled castes to apportion reservation in proportion to the population of each caste to ensure internal reservation. The delegation comprising Sri Immadi Siddarameshwara swami and former chairperson of Bhovi Development Corporation G.V. Seetharamu met Mr. Das in Bengaluru on Tuesday and brought to his notice that the enumerators were categorising Bhovis under a main caste like Adikarnataka before listing them under the sub-caste Bhovis. Contending that thousands of entries of Bhovis had been made under a sub-caste after listing them under a main caste like Adikarnataka, the delegation members in a representation urged the commission to consider all such entries made in this manner so far as those belonging to Bhovi community. The representation signed by G.V. Seetharamu, who is also the spokesperson of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), has sought a clarification from the commission on the status of Adikarnataka, Adiandhra, and Adidravida castes in view of the conflicting claims over classification. 'While some claim that they are not the names of castes historically, others argue that these castes had been listed in the 1950 Presidential order and all subsequent amendments. 'Which is correct?', asked the representation submitted to the commission. The memorandum also drew the commission's attention to the fact that the ration cards of some of the members of the Bhovi community were shown as they belonged to Scheduled Tribes (ST). Attributing the lapse to mistakes committed by the officials of Department of Food and Civil Supplies, Mr. Seetharamu urged the commission to ensure that the enumerators considered the Aadhaar, voter ID or caste certificates of the Bhovi community members.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Dalit Christians differ on how to identify themselves in Karnataka survey
As the enumeration work to identify scheduled castes for internal reservation is underway in Karnataka, the identification of Dalit Christians has emerged as a contentious issue. While Dalit right (Holeya) groups are seeking a separate column for Dalit Christians, Dalit left (Madiga) groups believe that they are better off identifying themselves with the Dalit caste, from which they converted, to protect their reservation status. Meanwhile, the Dalit Christian Federation is advising them to be identified by their religion, arguing that it will result in better political representation. With the survey being conducted by the commission headed by retired judge H.N. Nagmohan Das set to cover 101 SCs, its outcome, including the population data, social, economic and educational backwardness, will be the benchmark for the commission to draw the internal reservation within the broader 17% reservation set aside for SCs, which they together (left and right) constitute 18.27% of the total population or about 1.09 crore. Internal reservation is a decades-long demand of Dalit left groups that have accused Dalit right groups of cornering reservation benefits. They want slicing up the reservation among Dalit left and Dalit right besides touchable castes of Bhovi, Korma, Korcha and Lambani. What courts say The courts have ruled that the SC reservation should be based on castes, and since Christianity does not have castes, reservation cannot be applied. In this backdrop, Dalit right groups are urging the commission to include a separate column for Dalit Christians as the Union Government is yet to decide on their reservation. 'The commission should encourage Dalit Christians to identify their religion so that they can be kept outside the SC reservation matrix. The Karnataka Backward Classes Commission led by K. Jayaprakash Hegde has recommended reservation for Dalits in the backward classes reservation matrix,' a source in Chalavadi Mahasabha, which represents Dalit right, said. The Kalaburgi-based Dhamma Deepa Buddha Vihara has also petitioned the commission seeking a religion column in the enumeration. The 2015 Socio, Economic and Educational survey by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes put the total population of Christians at 9.47 lakh, which included many caste-specific Christian groups, such as Brahmin Christians, Kuruba Christians, Holeya Christians, Jalagara Christians, Madiga Christians, Reddy Christians, Vishwakarma Christians, Vokkaliga Christians and Walmiki Christians, among many others. The survey also identified about 12,865 SC population converted to Christianity, and recommended them to be included in Backward Classes Category 1B, which is 'most backward'. Political representation Sources in Dalit left (Madiga) group acknowledge that members of their community have converted to Christianity in big numbers, especially in the backward north Karnataka region. 'Caste inequality, social backwardness, atrocities by upper castes and poverty have driven many to Christianity. However, even after conversion, their social standing has not improved. In the current context, there is a threat of losing reservation benefits if they identify themselves as Christians. We are creating awareness about identifying their caste only during enumeration,' said Basavaraj Kowthal of the Madiga Samudaya Jagruthi Andolana. However, Dalit Christian Federation president D. Manohar Chandra Prasad, who is also a pastor with the Church of South India, said that they are creating awareness among the converted population and encouraging them to identify as Dalit Christians. 'The new recommendation has provided reservation in the backward classes. There is no need to worry about losing reservation status. We do not agree with the population figure cited by the commission for Christianity. Our survey in 2018 showed a population of about 40 lakh, or about 6% of the population of the State. A correct figure would help in seeking suitable political representation.'
