Siddaramaiah Accepts Karnataka Caste Census Report Ahead of Exit Buzz, Panel Recommends 42% OBC Reservation

In what could become one of his final major official engagements before stepping down as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday formally accepted the Karnataka caste census report submitted by the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission at Vidhana Soudha.

The commission has recommended increasing reservation for backward classes in Karnataka from the existing 32% to 42%, based on findings from the State's extensive social and educational survey.

Officials said the report is expected to play a major role in shaping future reservation policy, welfare schemes and resource allocation across Karnataka.

Over 5.86 Crore Residents Participated in Survey

According to the report, around 5.86 crore residents participated in the caste census survey out of Karnataka's estimated total population of 6.14 crore.

The commission said the large-scale data collection exercise examined not only caste population figures but also the social, educational, economic and political conditions of different communities across the State.

The 13-chapter report includes detailed findings related to literacy, employment, access to education, public representation and socio-economic conditions, which officials said could help the government better target welfare schemes and policy planning.

Muslims Largest Community in Karnataka Census Data

One of the major findings in the report relates to the population share of major communities in Karnataka.

According to the caste census data:

Muslims account for 80.14 lakh people, making up 14% of Karnataka's population
Veerashaiva-Lingayats account for around 65 lakh people, or 11%
Vokkaligas account for nearly 60 lakh people, or 10%
Kurubas account for around 45 lakh people, or 8%

The commission said the report aims to provide a stronger data-based foundation for social justice measures and reservation policies in the State.

Panel Suggests Two Reservation Models

The Karnataka Backward Classes Commission has proposed two separate reservation structures in the report.

The first model retains the existing backward classes reservation ceiling at 32%, while the second proposes increasing the ceiling to 42%.

Under the proposed 42% model, the commission suggested increasing reservation percentages across different backward class categories, including Category-1A, Category-2A, Category-2B and Category-3 groups.

The government will now have to decide whether to retain the existing quota structure or move ahead with the proposed enhanced reservation ceiling.

Siddaramaiah Calls Report Important for Social Justice

After receiving the report at Vidhana Soudha in the presence of ministers and commission members, Siddaramaiah described the submission as an important step for future governance and social justice policies.

"I have received the social and educational survey report with great pleasure today. I hope this report will guide the implementation of social justice in the coming days," the Chief Minister said.

The commission expects the caste census report to serve as a long-term policy reference document for Karnataka.

The State government will now study the recommendations before taking a final call on reservation limits, category-wise quota distribution and linking future welfare schemes with the socio-economic data collected during the survey.