The Karnataka cabinet on Wednesday decided to constitute a three-member high-level committee headed by a retired High Court judge to look into demands by various communities in the state for revising existing reservation and advise the government. Besides the retired judge, the committee would comprise a former administrator and a social scientist and give a comprehensive report, Law and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. He noted that various communities have been pressing for revising their existing reservation and conceding it would lead to the quota exceeding the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court. If it has to be exceeded, special criteria has to be identified.
"To guide the government on this constitutionally and legally difficult subject, it has been decided to constitute the committee," he told reporters in Bengaluru after the cabinet meeting. The Cabinet has given the Chief Minister the authority to make appointments to the committee.
The retired judge will look into the legal and constitutional aspect while the retired administrator will go into the administrative aspect, he said, adding that at present, demands by some communities were with the Backward Classes Commission and some others were at the stage of anthropology study.
"Once constituted, the committee will decide on the time frame," he said.
Karnataka at present provides 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes, 3% for Scheduled Tribes and 32% for the other backward classes (OBC), which adds up to 50%.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayats, the community to which Chief Minister Yediyurappa belongs, are demanding OBC status under the central list, whereas a sub-sect of the community, Panchamasali Lingayats want to be classified under Category 2A (15%) in the state quota.
The other dominant Vokkaliga community has decided to seek enhancement of reservation, formation of a Vokkaliga Development Authority and greater quota access to the urban poor from the community. They want all Vokkaliga sub-sects to be included under the OBC.
On the other hand, while the backward Kuruba community is seeking an ST tag, while the Valmiki community wants the ST quota to be hiked from 3% to 7.5%.
The state government has already asked the Backward Classes Commission to look into the reservation demand of Panchamasali community to be included in category 2A of OBC reservation matrix. It is currently included under 3B (5%).
Last year, Justice Nagamohan Das Committee had submitted a report to the government. According to sources, it had recommended increasing reservation for SCs from 15% to 17% and STs from 3% to 7.5%.
Other cabinet decisions on Wednesday included setting up Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited to focus on waste collection, transportation, processing, and produce energy from solid waste, while giving it administrative and financial independence to the organisation.
The city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will have 51% share in this and the state government will have 49%. The Additional Chief Secretary will be its Chief Executive Officer, Bommai said.