Latest news with #non-SC
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Forum demands cabinet sub-committee for internal reservation of SCs
Mangaluru: The Confederation of SCs & STs Organisation has urged the state govt to form a cabinet sub-committee to examine the Justice HN Nagamohan Das One Man Inquiry Commission report on internal reservation among the 101 Scheduled Castes (SC) designated in the state. Forum president Lolaksha told reporters on Thursday, that an unbiased sub-committee, headed by a non-SC minister along with all ministers from SC communities, needs to be formed. The special state cabinet meeting to be held on Aug 16 should decide to set up a sub-committee of the cabinet. The committee should discuss in detail the report submitted by the Justice HN Nagamohan Das committee. Further, it should hear suggestions and grievances from individuals from the SC communities and organisations. The pros and cons of the report need to be discussed in detail by the sub-committee, Lolaksha said. "Any decision that the govt takes on basis of the report will significantly affect the life and future of more than one crore SC community members from 27,24,768 families in the state. Hence, the chief minister and ministers of the state should not make any decision in haste," he said. "Once the sub-committee is formed, members should visit all districts across the state, soon after the legislature session. At least meetings should be convened in Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Mangaluru, Mysuru, and Bengaluru to hear grievances from members of SC communities and their organisations. The sub-committee should make recommendations to the govt as per the fundamentals of the Constitution. A detailed review is essential as the report was prepared in an unscientific way," he said. 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. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress seeks explanation from Puducherry Chief Minister over non representation of Scheduled Caste community in the Cabinet
Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V. Narayanasamy on Saturday demanded an explanation from Chief Minister N. Rangasamy for dropping from the Cabinet two Ministers belonging to the Scheduled Caste community and not choosing a Dalit MLA as replacement in his Ministry. Participating in a demonstration organised by the SC wing of Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee against lack of Dalit representation in the AINRC-BJP Cabinet here, the Congress leader said two months ago, BJP MLA A. K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar was asked to resign from the Cabinet. Mr. Kumar's resignation from the Cabinet comes two years after the removal of another Dalit Minister S. Chandira Priyanga from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the Union Territory. The Chief Minister has so far not given reasons for removing Ms. Priyanga and Mr. Kumar from the Cabinet. 'Of course, the Congress party had raised corruption charges against Mr. Kumar on several occasions. If corruption charges were used as a yardstick for the removal of Mr. Kumar, the Congress had raised corruption charges against the entire Cabinet. The Chief Minister must explain to the public, the reason for the removal of both the Ministers,' the Congress leader said. The attitude of the AINRC and BJP towards the Dalit community became evident with the government's choice of replacement for Ms. Priyanga and Mr. Kumar. Despite the presence of MLAs from the SC community on the ruling side, the Chief Minister decided to choose non-SC MLAs as replacements, he said. 'The government does not have a Dalit representation in the Cabinet. All the Congress governments in the Union Territory in the past had a member from the SC community in the Ministry. The Chief Minister and the BJP have ignored the sentiments of the SC community in Puducherry,' he said. Others who participated in the agitation, included Member of Parliament and PCC chief V. Vaithilingam, former Minister Kamalakannan, former government whip R. K. R. Anantharaman and party Vice President P. K. Devadoss.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
BBMP suspends 10 civic officials after QR-coded caste census stickers found on bikes, tea stalls
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Monday suspended 10 civic officials for purported negligence in conducting the caste census ordered by the state government. The exercise to collect information regarding members of 101 communities falling under the Scheduled Caste category has been mired in controversy since it was launched in Bengaluru on June 23. Several citizens have alleged that QR-coded stickers marking Scheduled Caste (SC) households have been pasted on buildings, vehicles, and even tea stalls in a random manner. In 2015, the Congress government spent ₹170 Cr on a caste census in Karnataka, then blamed dogs for its flaws. Now in Bengaluru, BBMP is pasting caste stickers without collecting any data. From dogs to data-less drama, Congress's idea of social justice is a comedy of errors. — P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) July 3, 2025 Suralkar Vikas Kishore, Special Commissioner (Welfare), BBMP, admitted to gaps in carrying out the census. He, however, said, 'If the sticker is pasted on a non-SC house, they can just ignore it and if the house occupants belong to the SC community, then they can call the helpline number, and the field officers will visit them. Or they can participate in the survey online by using the QR-coded sticker.' 'We have suspended 10 officials for their shoddy work, and we will initiate action against them. But these stickers don't indicate that the survey is completed,' he added. Meanwhile, several Bengaluru residents flagged issues relating to the survey on social media. 'Please let me know the caste of HONDA ACTIVA!' one social media user sarcastically posted on X after he spotted the sticker on his two-wheeler. In another case, BBMP officials allegedly tried to paste the QR-coded sticker on a building in Chikkalasandra without speaking to the residents. Shashank, son of the house owner, said, 'We were inside the house when they (BBMP officials) arrived. They did not ask for any details and failed to show their ID cards. When we told them that they could not paste the sticker without collecting the details, the BBMP officials assaulted us. We went to the Subramanyapura police station to file a complaint. The civic officials, thereafter, apologised to us, so we returned without filing a complaint.' Medha S, a resident of Puttenahalli, said, 'These people are pasting the stickers like how product sales executives throw pamphlets inside houses. They are doing this despite knowing that there are occupants in the house.' Reacting to the controversy, Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra said on X, 'The so-called Caste Survey is nothing more than a hollow spectacle, orchestrated by CM Siddaramaiah with no real political will to implement it meaningfully. This exercise – born out of the Congress government's continued apathy towards internal reservation – has now become a subject of public mockery. Media reports and citizen accounts point to a farcical execution, where enumerators merely paste stickers and leave without any genuine engagement with residents.' 'Let's not forget: the Kantharaj Commission report was submitted in 2015. Yet, during his full five-year term as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah chose not to act on it. CM Siddaramaiah must stop misleading marginalised communities with half-hearted theatrics. The people of Karnataka don't need empty promises – they deserve results,' he added. The BBMP has claimed that it has till now identified over 6.7 lakh SC individuals after covering more than 1.8 lakh SC households in the city.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Scheduled Caste survey: Here's why Bengalureans are upset
1 2 Bengaluru: Confusion and anger continue to mount over Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) Scheduled Castes Comprehensive Survey 2025, with residents questioning its methods, intent, and execution. What began as a data-gathering exercise has drawn criticism for appearing hurried, opaque, and error-ridden — prompting the suspension of at least eight officials. BBMP, on its part, has also tried to clarify. But first, let's look at the criticism. Criticism You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The main point of contention is BBMP's practice of affixing stickers outside homes declaring them "surveyed", often without any interaction with the residents. Numerous individuals have reported that these stickers were placed even when no one was home, and no questions were asked. The stickers carry a QR code that allows self-reporting, but this nuance has largely gone unexplained to the public. Residents from various neighbourhoods — including Jayanagar, Sulthanpalya, and Chickpet — have expressed concern that surveyors are bypassing verification altogether. In one Brahmin-majority area, advocate Gururaj Kulkarni reported stickers placed on homes of over 80 families without any interaction. "Officials are supposed to collect data on SC/ST households, but they're randomly pasting labels instead," he said. Criticism has also poured in online. Users on social media have questioned the logic behind stickering without surveying, with one resident calling it a "waste of crores of taxpayers' money". Prominent Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar labelled the survey as "bogus" and posted on X: "What kind of legitimate survey involves secretly pasting notices on homes without speaking to the residents or collecting any actual information?" Tagging Lok Sabha leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi and chief minister Siddaramiah, he asked, "Why are you planning to cheat the Scheduled Castes?" What BBMP says "The stickering was only to ensure that in our first round, the particular family was visited and no SC family goes without coverage." While SC households can get themselves self-surveyed through the QR code in the sticker, he also stated that non-SC households should not bother about it. "If you are non-SC, this is not for you," BBMP special commissioner (welfare), Suralkar Vikas Kishor, clarified. He also admitted to poor execution of the process with stickers being pasted randomly. "What has happened is our team has passed the sticker without interacting with the household, which is wrong, and for that, we have suspended officials across BBMP in different zones. We'll be continuing that action if we find these kinds of things are happening," he told TOI. Eight suspensions TOI had earlier reported that BBMP had suspended two officials over the matter. Now, the total number is up to eight. The suspended officials are Ramesh, revenue collector (East zone), Peddaraju, revenue inspector (East zone), Sendil Kumar, revenue inspector (RR Nagar), Kavita, revenue inspector (East), Ramanjeyalu, assessor (West), Praveen Kumar, assessor (RR Nagar), Hanumanta Raju CT, assessor (West), and Subhashini, revenue collector (South). The survey, which began on May 5, is part of a statewide drive to gather data on SC households. But BBMP's execution has cast doubt on its credibility. Officials say corrective measures are being taken — but public trust, at least for now, appears in short supply.
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- The Hindu
Four revenue officials suspended over lapses in SC survey
Following many complaints about lapses in the ongoing Scheduled Castes (SC) survey in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has suspended four revenue officials. Three officials — revenue inspector Ramesh and tax collector Peddaraju, working in HBR sub-division, and tax collector C. Sentil Kumar of Kengeri sub-division — were suspended on Thursday for not contacting residents, but pasting stickers on their houses that the survey of these houses was completed. On Friday, the BBMP suspended revenue inspector Kavita, working in the Vasanthnagar sub-division, for erroneous survey in ward no. 62, Vasathnagar. In her suspension order, the BBMP said when the head office called up residents to cross-check on the survey in the ward, they found that surveyors had marked SC families from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as 'non-SC households' during the survey, but included them as 'SC households' and uploaded their details on the app, when they went to paste stickers, creating discrepancies in the survey.
