Last Update: February 10, 2023, 09:35 IST
Bommai said the current government has implemented the enhanced quota and it is being followed in government recruitment (file photo of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai).
During the assembly session in Belagavi in December, the Karnataka Legislature passed a bill to increase reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) in the state.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that the sole objective of his government is to provide justice to SC/ST communities, and the process to include the decision to increase the quota in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution has begun.
The CM said this while speaking at the inauguration of ‘Janajagruti Jathra Mahotsav’ organized by his office as part of Shri Maharishi Valmiki Jathra Mahotsav in Davangere on Thursday.
“Justice has been done to the oppressed communities as per the Justice Nagmohan Das Commission report. While the reservation for SC community has been increased from 15 to 17 percent and for ST community it has been increased from 3 percent to 7 percent. This will benefit the youth of those two communities in jobs and education, Bommai said.
Stating that mere speech will not ensure social justice, he added that the present government has implemented enhanced quota and it is being followed in government recruitment.
During the assembly session in Belagavi in December, the Karnataka Legislature passed a bill to increase reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) in the state.
The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and Appointments or Posts in Services under the State) Bill, 2022 increased the reservation for Scheduled Castes from 15 to 17 percent and for Scheduled Tribes from 3 to 7 percent.
The state cabinet had given its formal approval for increasing the SC/ST quota on October 8 and later issued an ordinance in this regard.
The decision to increase the SC/ST quota was taken following the recommendation of a commission headed by retired Justice HN Nagmohan Das of the Karnataka High Court.
Opposition parties supported the passage of the bill, but were skeptical about the government’s intent with implementation, as increasing the reservation would breach the 50 percent cap set by the Supreme Court in the 1992 Indira Sawhney case.
The decision to increase the quota has not yet been enshrined under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, making it vulnerable as it takes the number of reservations in Karnataka to 56 per cent, with opposition parties questioning the government. How will they implement it? ,
The inclusion under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution has to be done through a constitutional amendment.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)