BANGALORE: Karnataka State Federation of Valmiki Nayak Associations has threatened to launch an agitation if the State Government fails to meet their demands for inclusion of certain sub-sects of the community into the list of Scheduled Castes.
Speaking to reporters recently, State President of the Federation N Hanumanthappa and writer C V Shivashankar said, “For some reasons Parivara, Talavara and Palegara sub-sects of our community have been removed from the list of Scheduled Castes.”
The Federation stated that the State Government had, in a recommendation to the Union Government, sought a study to be undertaken on these communities and also released `12.5 lakh for this purpose. They alleged that the study was moving at a snail pace.
The Federation also charged non-implementation of a recommendation made by the Social Welfare Department to the Government two years ago to increase reservation for Scheduled Castes from three to seven per cent.
Stating that the Government had not spent the amount allocated for Scheduled Castes which is 7.5% of the total budget, the Federation demanded that the Government must complete spending the current allocation before it presents the new budget and also sought punishment of officialswho have a lax attitude about the issue.