Union Minister Ramdas Athawale advocates 75% reservation in government jobs
New Delhi: The reservation ceiling in government jobs should be increased from 50 to 75 per cent, said Ramdas Athawale, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, on Friday. “The reservation given to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and OBCs should remain intact at 50 per cent. There are many other castes who are also demanding reservation. Of the 50 per cent of the general category, 25 per cent reservation should be for these castes,” said Athawale at a press conference here.
He said: “The state government should increase the amount to promote inter-caste marriage from existing Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The Central government gives Rs 2.50 lakh to promote inter-caste marriages.
“There are 20,500 people still engaged in scavenging work in Jharkhand. There is a plan to provide Rs 50,000 assistance to each family involved in the scavenging work.” Besides, he said efforts are on to increase the reservation for “Divyangs” (differently abled) from existing four per cent to five per cent in government jobs.
“Our government is not anti-Dalit. The SC and ST Act has been formulated not for misuse but to help the people from SC/ST communities. The Act is also not against the upper castes.” Athawale said that efforts are being made to rename the Mumbai Central railway station as Baba Saheb Ambedkar Station. He also enumerated the work done by his government for the welfare of people.
Courtesy: indianexpress.com
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Efforts on to identify, rehabilitate Kogilu dwellers under housing scheme: Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Wednesday said a detailed exercise is underway to identify and rehabilitate eligible beneficiaries under the 'One Lakh Multi-storey Bengaluru Housing Scheme', even as scrutiny of applications from 'Kogilu Bande' has revealed large-scale ineligibility due to non-compliance of guidelines.
The authorities evicted the dwellers in Kogilu Cross living in slums during winter, saying that they occupied the government land, meant for Bengaluru's solid waste management, illegally.
The action drew flak, especially from the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, prompting the Karnataka government to announce alternative arrangements.
On Wednesday, the minister said the initiative is part of efforts to provide housing to the urban poor through a structured and transparent process overseen by the City Shelter Committee.
"A total of 1,187 one-bedroom flats are being constructed, 594 flats under the public quota and 593 flats under the local quota," he said, outlining the scale of the housing project coming up at Byappanahalli village in Byatarayanapura Assembly constituency, which the revenue minister represents in the Assembly.
A total of 189 beneficiaries have already been selected in a City Shelter Committee meeting, he said, indicating that allotment is being carried out in phases based on eligibility criteria.
Substantiating the scale of the exercise, the minister said, "Following the clearance of unauthorised houses in Kogilu Bande, a survey was conducted, and a list of 165 homeless individuals has been submitted."
He said the survey, carried out jointly by the Revenue Department and the Greater Bengaluru Authority, was aimed at ensuring that displaced and genuinely homeless families are considered for rehabilitation under the housing scheme.
Of the 165 identified individuals, only 61 families were found eligible as per the scheme guidelines.
The minister noted that a significant number of applications were rejected or kept pending due to various reasons.
He further pointed out discrepancies such as duplicate applications, ownership of houses within the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area, and incomplete documentation.
In several cases, applicants were found to be outside the jurisdiction or lacked valid address proof.
The minister said some applicants were also from outside the state, making them ineligible under the scheme norms.
He assured that pending cases would be reviewed once applicants submit the required documents.
"The pending cases will be reviewed in the next Ashraya Committee meeting upon resubmission of the required documents," he said.
Emphasising the need for strict adherence to guidelines, Gowda said the government is committed to ensuring that only genuine beneficiaries receive housing under the scheme, while preventing misuse of public resources.
