Karnataka extends SC internal reservation survey deadline to May 25
The extension was announced by retired Karnataka High Court judge H N Nagmohan Das, who heads the commission overseeing the exercise
Bengaluru, May 16 (PTI) The deadline for the ongoing survey to collect empirical data for recommending internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Karnataka has been extended.
The extension was announced by retired Karnataka High Court judge H N Nagmohan Das, who heads the commission overseeing the exercise.
The three-phase data collection process began on May 5. The door-to-door survey, initially scheduled to conclude on May 17, will now continue until May 25.
For those who were not covered during this period, registration can be done at designated camps from May 26 to 28. In addition, a self-declaration option will be available online from May 19 to 28.
Addressing reporters here, Nagmohan Das said, "There were certain technical problems, we were able to overcome them. The survey is smoothly going on and the progress is more than our expectation. Within the extended time today that we have given, I'm confident we will cover a hundred per cent survey." “As per our information already we have achieved 72 per cent progress, we were confident about achieving 90 per cent before the deadline, but as various organisations and leaders requested extension, considering all factors, we have taken this decision to extend.” According to officials, there are an estimated 25.72 lakh SC households in Karnataka.
Responding to a question on the challenges encountered during the survey, Justice Das said the main hurdle is that some of the SC households are reluctant to come forward to disclose their caste details.
"The second is, some of the people who have obtained certificates as Adi Karnataka and Adi Dravida don't know their original caste. Some of them know their original caste, but those castes are not in the list. Some of them are not willing to disclose, though they know their sub-caste," he added.
Noting that the Centre has sought information about the electronic online method that has been adopted for the survey and the details have been shared with them, Das said, "We have done a unique job, and nowhere in the country this method is adopted as of now, as per my information."
To a query, he said in his interim report he has mentioned that on the basis of the available data, it is not possible to make a scientific classification and therefore has recommended to the Karnataka government to conduct a fresh survey.
"The government accepted my interim report and ordered a fresh survey, and now a fresh survey is going on." Accepting the Nagmohan Das Commission's interim report, the Karnataka cabinet on March 27 decided to go for a survey of SCs.
A section of SCs, like 'SC Left', have been demanding internal reservation, alleging that only a few influential sub-castes were taking away a majority of the benefits, while many communities were still marginalised.
The internal reservation is aimed at slicing up the 17 per cent reservation matrix given to 101 scheduled castes.
The government, in November last year, had appointed Nagmohan Das to head a commission to recommend internal reservation among SCs, after the Supreme Court last year allowed the states to provide internal reservation.
The state 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