BELAGAVI: The Legislature Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has recommended for reservation in an appointment of priests in temples coming under the Endowment Department.
Committee chairman K Shivamurthy, in his sixth annual report, has stated that the government had made provisions for appointment from priestly families for generations.
Reservation in an appointment of SCs and STs as priests in Hindu temples was introduced by the DMK government in Tamil Nadu. Now the committee has felt the need for the introduction of reservation for SCs and STs in the appointment of priests in the 2,878 temples run by the Endowment Department. The committee has also directed Deputy Commissioners and Magistrates to attend to pending cases related to SCs and STs, act against officers failing to spend special component programme funds for SC/STs for welfare programmes.