Latest news with #NagamohanDas
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Two-day workshop on Indian Constitution begins in Shivamogga
Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das, chairperson of the one-man commission on the internal reservation of Scheduled Castes, has stressed the need for preparing activists to spread the significance of the Indian Constitution. Speaking at the inauguration of a two-day workshop on the Indian Constitution in Shivamogga on Saturday, Mr. Das said that understanding the essence of the Constitution was important for the progress of all in society. 'No matter who rules the country, we should ensure they rule as per the Constitution. I firmly believe that we can resolve many of our problems and achieve progress if we tread the path shown by the Constitution,' he said. Elaborating on the Samvidhana Odu, a campaign launched in 2018, he said that he had addressed hundreds of gatherings over the past few years, spreading the importance of the Indian Constitution. 'I have addressed at least 2,000 meetings in the last five years. However, I cannot reach the entire State in my lifetime. Hence, my team and I decided to conduct workshops in district centres so that we prepare people who can take the message further to rural areas,' Mr. Das said. He called upon the activists who participated in the workshop to engage actively in the campaign and spread the importance of the Constitution. Minister for School Education Madhu Bangarappa said that as a student he hardly studied about the Indian Constitution. However, after becoming a Minister, he made reciting of the Preamble of the Constitution compulsory in all schools. 'The initiative will help us a great deal in the coming days,' he said. Highlighting teachers' vacancies in government schools, Mr. Madhu Bangarappa appealed to Justice Nagamohan Das to clear the issue of internal reservation at the earliest so that his department could recruit teachers. 'There are 51,000 vacancies in our department. We are preparing to recruit around 18,000 teachers. We will do it as soon as the reservation is finalised,' he said. Sharath Ananthamurthy, Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University said that many among the youth had misunderstood the reservation policy. 'There is a need for debate on reservation in colleges and universities and address the misunderstanding. The students should be told about the importance of reservation and the actual meaning of merit,' he said. Deputy Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer N. Hemanth, advocate K.P. Sripal and others were present.
New Indian Express
15-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Karnataka: Misuse of Budaga Jangama caste certificate a worry
BENGALURU: A glaring discrepancy in the number of individuals claiming Scheduled Caste (SC) benefits under the Budaga Jangama or Beda Jangama category sparked serious concerns among experts. At a seminar held on Saturday, former Backward Classes Commission chairperson CS Dwarakanath revealed that while the genuine population of Budaga Jangamas is less than 25,000, over 4 lakh are believed to be availing benefits using fake SC caste certificates. Justice Nagamohan Das, too, expressed concerns and said he plans to take corrective steps to end this menace. Dwarakanath said the situation is not merely an administrative lapse but a systematic exploitation of the reservation system. Senior IAS officer SM Jamdar and former Supreme Court judge, Justice Gopala Gowda, too expressed their concerns.
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Deadline for Karnataka SC survey extended to June 22 due to poor response in Bengaluru
Due to a lack of strong participation within Bengaluru city limits for the ongoing survey of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities in Karnataka, the government has extended the survey deadline to June 22. This is the third extension granted since the survey was launched on May 5. The purpose of the survey is to determine the exact population numbers of 101 castes classified under the Scheduled Caste category in the state, which will then be used to provide internal reservations for these communities. Compared to other districts in Karnataka, where nearly 100 per cent of the SC population was surveyed, only 46 per cent of the SC population in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits participated in the survey, according to details shared by the one-man commission under Justice Nagamohan Das. The estimated SC population in Karnataka for 2025 is approximately 1.16 crore, which constitutes about 12 per cent of the total community population. In Bengaluru alone, there are around 13.62 lakh SC people. However, only 6.29 lakh of them participated in the survey, Across the entire state, there is a 90 per cent progress in the survey, as 1.05 crore of the 1.16 crore people from the SC community have taken part in the survey, according to the commission. While May 19 was set as the last date for the door-to-door survey when it was launched on May 5, it was extended till the end of May due to poor response in urban areas. Due to this, several groups from SC communities petitioned the commission to extend the last date of the survey further. The commission is facing another problem as the teachers roped in to carry out the exercise were relieved after the academic year began in the first week of June. Until June 22, SC families can register themselves at Scheduled Caste Survey Karntaka Website or visit Karnataka One, Bengaluru One, or BBMP ward offices to enrol in the exercise. The survey is being carried out based on the recommendations of the one-man panel, which found that there is no empirical data on the population of various castes within SC communities, without which internal reservation cannot be provided. The SCs are classified into four categories in the state: SC left, SC right, touchable communities and others.
New Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Veerashaiva Mahasabha advice: Lingayats need to provide only name, number for survey
BENGALURU: The powerful Veerashaiva Mahasabha finds itself in a spot of discomfort as the government's contentious Scheduled Caste survey, led by a commission under Justice Nagamohan Das, gathers steam. The commission, which began collecting detailed data on May 5, has set off complaints of confusion, particularly among non-SC communities. Seeking to end the confusion, Mahasabha president and Davangere South MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa issued a statement, insisting that non-SC citizens, especially Lingayats, only need to provide the name of the family head and total number of family members. 'The list of 44 data points is meant for SC respondents,' he said. 'Citizens caught off-guard' With the Mahasabha ramping up its organizational strength, having held elections in over 150 taluks, Shivashankarappa issued a call to all 178 local units to spread the word that Lingayats are not required to disclose all details to enumerators. Mahasabha secretary Renuka Prasanna reported complaints pouring in from bewildered citizens caught off-guard by surveyors at their doorsteps. 'There is confusion. The commission must issue an immediate clarification,' he urged.
The Print
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Karnataka announces door-to-door collection of data on SCs even as fate of OBC survey still unclear
Over 65,000 teachers will be roped in as enumerators with one supervisor assigned for every 10-12 surveyors. A sum of Rs 100 crore will be spent on the exercise. SCs form 17.15 percent of Karnataka's population, according to the 2011 Census. The census will be headed by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government appointed one- member commission under Justice (retired) Nagamohan Das between 5 and 23 May in three phases that include door-to-door collection of data, special training camp and online self-declaration camps. Bengaluru: The Karnataka government Monday commenced its ambitious census of the Scheduled Caste (SC) population to gather empirical data on sub-caste demographics and to help implement internal reservation among marginalised groups. There are 101 communities or sub-groups within the SC population in Karnataka. 'In these 101 communities, to give internal reservation, we need exact data,' Siddaramaiah told reporters Monday in Bengaluru. The move follows a Supreme Court ruling on 1 August 2024, allowing states to introduce internal quotas for SCs based on empirical evidence. He added that without empirical data, it would be difficult to ascertain if these sub-groups belong to 'left, right' or any other umbrella groups. He said that there was no official data on the population of groups like Adi-Dravida, Adi-Karnataka or Adi-Andhra or any others. Several people, he said, would have listed themselves under different groups that make it difficult to provide reservation-related benefits or even determine the exact population. 'This survey ensures no community is left behind in Karnataka's development journey,' Siddaramaiah added. The Nagamohan Das Commission is expected to submit the report within 60 days after the completion of all three phases of the exercise. The government is undertaking the census of the SCs at a time when its caste census has been shrouded in uncertainty. Siddaramaiah commissioned the survey in 2015 during his first term as CM. But the report was never accepted until early last year and its findings are yet to be officially released. The state government is scheduled to meet 9 May again to deliberate on the findings of the caste census but the CM has faced many challenges in releasing them, so far. Siddaramaiah's deputy and several other ministers have openly asked for the census report to be scrapped since it seemingly does not represent their true population figures. Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, said that the 2015 caste census and the exercise being carried out now are 'not related'. Also Read: Hindu activist's death latest in a long list of tit-for-tat killings. Mangaluru is a communal tinderbox 'Left, right, touchables & others' In March 2023, former CM Basavaraj Bommai announced internal reservations ahead of the assembly elections that year. The SC (Left) category was entitled to get 6 percent, SC (Right) 5.5 percent, 4.5 percent for 'touchables', and 1 percent for 'others', Bommai had said. Soon after the announcement was made, members of prominent SC communities pelted stones at home in Shivamogga to express their anger over the capping on reservation benefits. Bommai had also taken the decision to remove Muslims from the backward classes list and redistribute the 4 percent reservation under 2B to Vokkaligas and Lingayats in two newly carved out categories. Both proposals were challenged politically, legally and by members of the very communities he was trying to placate. Internal reservation has been a key contention in Karnataka with several communities within the SC umbrella supposedly eating up the majority of the benefits. After several years of protests by SC groups demanding reservations within reservations, in 2005, the then Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government appointed a commission led by retired high court judge A.J. Sadashiva to look into the equitable distribution of reservation benefits among SCs. The commission filed its report in 2012, recommending that the 101 caste and sub-caste groups among the SCs be divided into 'left', 'right', 'touchables' and 'others'. The 'left-right' dichotomy, found in Karnataka and other parts of south India, is rooted in historical divisions among SC groups. The term 'touchables', meanwhile, refers to historically disadvantaged communities—the major groups being Banjaras, Bhovis, Korachas and Koramas—who were included alongside 'untouchables' in the depressed classes list of the erstwhile state of Mysore, and later incorporated into the SC list. Politically, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have drawn support from various groups and have attempted to reach out to those who don't. Congress national president Mallikarjuna Kharge is from the Holeya community, which is considered 'Right', and Karnataka cabinet minister is from the Madiga community, classified as 'left'. Communities like Banjara, Bhovi, Korcha and Kurmi are classified as 'touchables' and around 89 groups come in the 'others' category', according to the state government. There are 21 caste groups that come under SC (right), and 25 in SC (left), according to experts. The Sadashiva Commission's survey—assessing the socio-economic situation of 96.6 lakh SC people—reportedly found that the 'left' communities account for about 33.47 percent of the SC population, 'right' communities for 32 percent, 'touchables' for 23.64 percent and 'others' for 4.65 percent. Many survey respondents reportedly refused to answer, so the figures don't add up to 100 percent. It estimated that there are about 25 'right-hand' communities and 20 'left-hand' ones. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: 'Won't be surprised if Prajwal is welcomed with garlands' — 1 yr on, victims still hiding
