Karnataka carves out separate categories for Veerashaivas, Vokkaligas

Karnataka carves out separate categories for Veerashaivas, Vokkaligas

Subject :Polity

Context: With pressure mounting for higher reservation in education and employment from  politically influential Panchamasali (Veerashaiva­ Lingayat subsect) and Vokkaligas, the Karnataka government on Thursday decided to create separate OBC reservation categories.

More about news:

• The Cabinet, which met in Belagavi on Thursday, decided to create 2C and 2D to accommodate the castes that figured in 3A (Vokkaliga) and 3B (Veerashaiva­Lingayat) till now. The decision was based on the interim report on the demand of several communities for increase in reservation, submitted by the Karnataka  State Backward  Classes Commission.
• The government, however, deferred announcement on the quantum of reservation to the newly established categories till the final report of the Karnataka Permanent Backward Classes Commission is submitted, while stating that it would be increased “at least by 2% to 3%.”

Present Karnataka’s reservation policy:

• Reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and Muslims are capped at 50% in accordance with an order of the Supreme Court.
• The quota break-up is as follows: Category I (Backward Classes) 4%; Category II A (OBCs) 15%; Category II B (Muslims) 4%; Category III A (Vokkaligas, etc.) 4%; Category III B (Lingayats, Marathas, Bunts, Christians) 5%; SCs 15%; and STs 3%.
• A total 95 communities and their sub-sects are recognized as Backward Classes, and 102 communities and their sub-sects as OBCs.

Major communities in Karnataka:

• The VeerashaivaLingayats are considered the single largest entity in Karnataka’s 6-crore population, making up around 17%.
• Vokkaligas are at 15%, Muslims 9%, and Kurubas around 8%.
• The Backward Classes block of various sub-castes minus the Kurubas make up around 25%. SCs are around 15%, and STs 3%.

Present demand:

• The PanchamasaliLingayats are demanding inclusion in the OBC category to be eligible to avail 15% reservations; and the entire Veerashaiva Lingayat community too, is demanding OBC categorization for 15% reservation.
• The Vokkaligas, who are a dominant community, are also demanding inclusion in the OBC category.

Reservation provisions in India for OBC

• The Kalelkar Commission, set up in 1953, was the first to identify backward classes other than the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at the national level.
• The Mandal Commission Report, 1980 estimated the OBC population at 52% and classified 1,257 communities as backward.
• It recommended increasing the existing quotas, which were only for SC/ST, from 22.5% to 49.5% to include the OBCs.
• The central government reserved 27% of seats in union civil posts and services for OBCs [Article 16(4)].
• The Constitution refers to the term ‘backward classes’ in Articles 15(4), 16(4) and 340(1).
• Articles 15(4) and 16(4) empower the State to make special provisions for any socially and educationally backward class of citizens
• In 2008, the Supreme Court directed the central government to exclude the creamy layer (advanced sections) among the OBCs.
• The 102nd Constitution Amendment Act, 2018 provided constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), which was previously a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.