Bengaluru: Expressing strong reservation about  the Government’s decision to vest the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) coming under the Police Department, with the powers to issue validate caste certificates, Opposition Leader and former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah has urged the Government to take back the decision in the interest of backward communities and other poor sections of the society.

In a letter written to CM B.S. Yediyurappa, Siddharamaiah said that the Social Welfare Department on Jan. 16, 2021, has passed an order instructing  the District Caste verification  committee to issue caste validation certificate concerning specific castes, only upon getting a validation report from the DCRE (Vigilance cell). Pointing out that the order mentions only 21 subcastes of ST community and 8 sub-castes of SC community for verification by the DCRE before Government appointments, Siddharamaiah questioned the Government’s decision to specify the names of only 29 sub-castes (21 of ST and 8 of SC) .

Maintaining that the order on DCRE’s validation report will only lead to more corruption and harassment, Siddharamaiah wondered why the Social Welfare Minister, who represents these sections, was silent on the issue.

Reiterating that the DCRE’s validation will lead to rampant corruption and inconvenience to genuine reservation seekers, he urged the Government to immediately withdraw this unscientific and illogical order and thus come to the rescue of job aspirants from these sub-castes of SC/ST communities.

The sub-castes specified by the Government along with their serial number is as follows ­—

Scheduled Tribes (ST): Sl.1- Gonda, Rajagonda and Nayakpod, Sl.15- Jenu Kuruba, Sl.16- Kadu Kuruba, Sl.17- Kammara (Dakshina Kannada and Kollegal of Chamarajanagar district), Sl.18- Kanian and Kanyan (Kollegal), Sl.21- Konkana, Konkani and Kukana, Sl.22- Kolidhor, Tokre Keli, Kolcha and Kolaga, Sl.28- Kuruba (Kodagu  District), Sl.34- Maleru, Sl.35- Maratha (Kodagu district), Sl.36- Marathi (D.K.District) and Sl.37- Parivara and Talwar.

Scheduled Communities (SC): Sl.19- Beda Jangama and Budga Jangama, Sl.20- Bovi, Sl.21- Channa Dasar, Sl.41- Handi Jogi, Sl.55- Kotegar and Metri  and Sl.78- Moger.