The Caste Census Commission in Karnataka has recommended increasing the reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in education and jobs from the current 32% to 51%. If this recommendation is implemented, the total reservation in the state would rise to 85%, which includes 10% for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and 24% for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST).
The commission's proposal is based on recent survey findings, estimating that nearly 70% of the state's population consists of backward classes. Citing this data, the report argues that increasing reservations in proportion to the population is necessary for equal distribution of government benefits and opportunities.
The commission noted that while the backward class population has increased by 69.6%, currently, even half of the OBC population in Karnataka is not receiving reservations. Without reservations relative to the population, equitable distribution of government services cannot be achieved.
Sources reported that the report cites examples of Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand, which offer 69% and 77% reservations in line with their backward class populations, respectively. According to the survey, the population in category 1A is 34,96,638; in category 1B, it is 73,92,313; in category 2A, it is 77,78,209; in category 2B, it is 75,25,880; in category 3A, it is 72,99,577; and in category 3B, the backward community population is 1,54,37,113. According to PTI, the report also mentions that the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population is 1,09,29,347 and 42,81,289, respectively.
