No decision yet on lockdown in Dakshina Kannada District, Mangaluru city; DK Minister confirms
Mangaluru: Taking note of the viral forward messages on social media platforms, District In-Charge Minister, Kota Srinivas Poojary on Sunday confirmed that no decision was taken so far about imposing of lockdown in Dakshina Kannada District or Mangaluru city.
On Sunday, messages across social media platforms claimed that the District Administration had decided to follow suit of state capital Bengaluru and was set to impose lockdown in the city to cap the number of COVID-19 cases in the district.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday afternoon, Poojary confirmed that a high-level meeting of MP, DC, and himself was held on Sunday to review the COVID-19 situation in the district but no decision was taken on imposing the lockdown. He added that local MP and himself will be discussing the situation of the district with the Chief Minister on Monday morning following which a decision will be taken on the further course of action.
Asserting that the administration will not enforce any decision that will cause inconvenience to the people of the district, Poojary called on people to not get confused and panicked by the rumors.
He further added that the administration will come to a decision only after consultation with the Chief Minister on Monday.
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Telangana survey flags 89,000 child labourers, highlights caste disparities in employment
Hyderabad: A caste-based survey conducted by the Telangana government for 2024–25 has identified around 89,000 children engaged in labour across the state, with a large share belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
The findings are part of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey, which covered about 3.5 crore people across 242 caste groups. According to the report, nearly one per cent of individuals below 18 years are involved in daily wage work. While the percentage appears small, officials noted that the absolute number reflects a serious concern.
The survey found that 11 per cent of identified child labourers belong to the ST Lambadi community, while 14 per cent are from the SC Madiga community. The highest incidence was reported among the ST Kolam group, where 7.2 per cent of minors are engaged in daily wage labour.
The data also revealed wider socio-economic disparities. Nearly half of the Scheduled Caste population is dependent on daily wage work, while only around 5 per cent are employed in the private sector, compared to about 30 per cent among General Castes.
State Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the findings show that SC and ST communities remain three times more backward than General Castes, while Backward Classes are about 2.7 times more disadvantaged.
The report further noted that, on average, 31.3 per cent of people in the 25–65 age group depend on daily wage work. Among communities, the BC-A Odde group recorded the highest share at 55 per cent. In contrast, only 2.6 per cent of OC Brahmins rely on such work.
Several SC and ST communities, including Kolam, Beda, Madiga, Koya, Gond, Yerukulas and Mala Sale, were found to have among the highest proportions of daily wage earners. On the other hand, most General Caste communities and some Backward Class groups such as Goldsmiths and BC-C Christians showed lower dependence on daily wage employment.
The survey also pointed to inequalities in access to formal employment. Communities such as OC Rajus, OC Brahmins and Kapus were found to have a higher presence in private sector jobs, with up to 27 per cent of their population employed in such roles.
