Karnataka govt committed to implementing caste census report: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Feb 18 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the government is committed to implementing the caste census report.
He said people should not doubt the intention of his government.
"The caste census was conducted scientifically and our government will definitely implement it. There should be no doubt about it," Siddaramaiah said after participating in a pre-budget meeting at Vidhana Soudha with leaders of backward classes and representatives of backward class organisations.
The chief minister said the government is in favour of the caste census.
"Our government has accepted the caste census report. It will definitely be implemented in the coming days," he said.
When the representatives demanded an increase in reservation on the Tamil Nadu model, Siddaramaiah referred to the 1992 Indira Sawhney case and informed them that the reservation should not exceed 50 per cent, and that the previous government's provision of reservation for the economically backward (EWS) was against the spirit of the Indian Constitution.
According to Article (15)(16) of the Constitution, reservation should be given only to the socially and educationally backward, he said.
The caste census report has been prepared scientifically and is useful for understanding the social, economic and educational status of all sections of the society. Accordingly, it will be helpful in formulating government programmes, he said.
The important question is why equality has not been achieved even after so many years. Some people are opposing it due to misunderstanding, the CM noted.
"The aim of our government is to bring the poor, backward, minorities and women into the mainstream," he said.
Siddaramaiah said inequality must go as a large number of people are deprived of opportunities due to the inequality created by the caste system. Everyone should be given equal opportunities, whether they are from the lower community or the upper class.
The chief minister also pointed out that there is discrimination and inequality among the backward castes as well, which cannot be eliminated all at once.
The Karnataka Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, commonly known as the ‘Karnataka caste census’ was commissioned by the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in 2015, with then Backward Classes Commission chairman H Kantharaju heading the committee.
The survey, conducted at a cost of approximately Rs 169 crore, was completed by 2016 but subsequent governments kept it in cold storage.
In 2020, the BJP government appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the commission chief. Hegde submitted the final report to the Siddaramaiah government on February 29, 2024.
Responding to the demand for free education for the nomadic community, Siddaramaiah said the government has ensured the Right to Education (RTE). Accordingly, the government has allowed free education in government schools and private educational institutions as well.
He said that special attention would be paid to the nomadic community in this budget.
Siddaramaiah also said that he will try to implement programmes for the most backward classes in this budget. He also promised to formulate programmes for the backward classes according to the availability of funds.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
