The State government cannot decide on the demand for inclusion of different castes into the Backward Classes category till the State Commission submits its report, said Karnataka State Permanent Backward Classes Commission chairperson K. Jayaprakash Hegde here on Monday.
Speaking at the Antyodaya awareness programme for elected representatives of panchayats and urban local bodies, Mr. Hegde said that the Commission has started the process of collecting empirical data about the social and education status of different castes. “Empirical data is very essential. It was the absence of this data that led the Supreme Court to strike down recently a decision of the Maharashtra Government,” he said.
Laborious task
Collection of empirical data is a laborious task and it will take time to finish it. The Commission cannot give the report in the absence of such data. After the report of the Commission comes, the State government will take the decision, he added.
States empowered
Mr. Hegde said that in view of a demand from the States, the Union government recently brought in changes in the Act to empower State governments to include castes in the 1, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B Backward Classes categories.
At present, there are more than 200 castes in these five categories.
The total reservation matrix for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes cannot go beyond 50%, he said.
He said that a good number of people belonging to Backward Classes are not aware of the categories they are in. Officials are facing problems in issuing caste certificate for some castes as they figure both in the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes categories.
Mr. Hegde called upon people to approach the Commission if they find any caste that deserves to be included in the Backward Classes categories.
