Bengaluru
The allocation for welfare of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), other backward classes (OBC) and minorities by the Karnataka government in 2021-22 has seen a decline of nearly 37% since 2019-20, according to official data.
According to the Annual Financial Statement for 2021-22, released along with the Karnataka state budget, the allocation for welfare of these communities has come down from ₹278,345.12 lakh in 2019-20 to ₹176,082.83 lakh in 2020-21, registering a negative growth of 36.73%.
The decline in allocations for marginalised sections come at a time when Karnataka chief minister B.S Yediyurappa has made large budgetary allocations for state’s dominant and politically influential communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas with just two years remaining before the 2023 polls.
Yediyurappa has cited revenue shortfalls from the Centre and the impact of Covid-19 for the lower allocations in various sectors, but this has been mitigated by higher borrowings, according to at least two Congress legislators.
“There is an economic downturn and this is the main reason (for the decline). But the total allocation will not be lower than last year,” said a cabinet minister, requesting not to be named
{{/usCountry}}“There is an economic downturn and this is the main reason (for the decline). But the total allocation will not be lower than last year,” said a cabinet minister, requesting not to be named
{{/usCountry}}Even the capital outlay on social security & welfare has seen a decline of 3% from ₹7,507.38 lakh in 2019-20 to ₹7,275.33 lakh in 2021-22, data shows. The decline in welfare and security comes even as the overall capital outlay on social services has seen an increase from ₹919,181.18 lakh in 2019-20 to ₹1,100,584.87 lakh in 2021-22.
“The allocations should be in proportion to the population of these communities but there has been a steady decline in allocation completely,” KM Ramchandrappa, president of the Karnataka Backward Castes Federation , said.
The private group that fights for rights of marginalised castes, which represents around 55 marginalised communities, is preparing to protest the declining allocation and importance given to these communities across the state from next week.
Yediyurappa in this year’s budget announced ₹500 crore each to the Vokkaligas and Lingayats while setting up caste-specific boards to work to help improve both economic, social and educational conditions of these dominant communities.
The state has also set up a Brahmin board with an allocation ₹50 crore in the 2021-22 budget. Yediyurappa has also set aside ₹1,500 crore for minorities.
With just two years remaining for the next assembly elections in the state, Yediyurappa has taken it upon himself to bring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power, which would mean reaching out to dominant communities and caste groups that are seen to back other political parties, analysts said.
While the Lingayats and Brahmins are seen to side with the BJP, the Vokkaligas, an agrarian community, are known to back former prime minister H.D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S), which has big presence in the southern region of Karnataka or the ‘Old Mysuru’ region. Others like backward classes, SC, ST and minorities tend to back the Congress.
According to government data, there are at least 95 caste groups and over 370 subgroups within Category-I, who are entitled for 4% reservation. There are 102 main caste groups, including the dominant Vokkaliga communities, in Category-II (A) along with over 300 subgroups, who are entitled to 15% reservation. Category II (B) is reserved for members of the Muslim community.
There are three main castes within III (A) and 34 subgroups with 4% reservation within them while there are at least 45 caste groups within III (B) including the politically influential Lingayats and their subsects who have 5% reservation.
“We are not opposed to allocations to other communities. But an allocation of ₹1,000 crore to two communities that are believed to account for around 25% of the population, while the outlay for over 200 other castes that are extremely backward get just ₹60 crore. How is this justified?” Ramchandrappa said.
According to the budget document, the allocation for SCP/TSP (scheduled caste sub-plan and scheduled tribe sub-plan) is ₹26,005 crore. “There is (a) decrease in total allocation due to the increase in committed expenditures like salary, honorarium, payment of principal and interest, pension etc., from ₹129,455 crore in 2020-21 to ₹142,855 crore in 2021-22,” according to the budget.
Yediyurappa, however, clarified that it was a typo, and the allocation will remain the same as the previous year or ₹26,930 crore.
“There is only an oral assurance but nothing on paper and we are sure nothing will come out of it either,” Priyank Kharge, former social welfare minister and Congress legislator, said.
“We have seen a trend of declining allocations for marginalised communities. The decline is much more when it comes to nomadic communities,” CS Dwarkanath, an advocate who works with several caste groups and former chairman of the Karnataka backward classes commission, said.
Experts on the subject said the actual picture and intent of expenditure of such allocations come out only the following year when revised estimates are presented, highlighting if the money was spent or not.
“Such appeasing announcements are like magic cards. Whether any group gets the money or not is something we will know only the following year,” Dasanuru Kusanna from the Institute of Social and Economic Change said.