Bengaluru: The govt faces a major hurdle in implementing recommendations of the Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), as concerns grow over possible duplication of claims by nearly five lakh individuals.The commission, which submitted a 1,766-page report on Monday to the govt, has proposed 1% reservation for 4,75,954 individuals who have identified themselves solely as Adi Andhra, Adi Dravida or Adi Karnataka. The social welfare department warns that this could open the door to overlapping claims across multiple categories.“With 1% reservation in jobs and education exclusively for these communities, they may secure entries through duplication,” said a social welfare department note. “These people may even claim reservation under the four categories of A, B, C, and D as well under their original caste name.”The govt is also examining the need to reclassify several castes across categories. Among communities being considered for a shift from Category A to Category B are Arunthathiya (9,058), Chakkailiyan (909), Dakkal and Dokkalwar (124), Dakkaliga (1,364), Jambuvulu (556), and Sindhollum/Chindollu (5,337).Another community under review is the Paraiyan or Paraya, whose population stands at 1,61,164. While currently proposed for Category B, the group is said to have a closer cultural and social affiliation with communities placed in Category C.“Like this, there are several castes in different categories that need to be interchanged and need to be discussed in detail,” states the note.The report also flags a significant spike in the population figures of the Beda Jangamma and Budaga Jangama communities. As per the 2011 Census, their combined population was 1,17,164. However, in the recent survey conducted by the Justice Das Commission between May and July, their numbers have surged to 3,22,049.“Considering this is likely to be artificial, the committee has added 1,44,387 under category A and the rest 1,77,662 have been dropped,” the internal note says.The findings also highlight the intricate challenges involved in restructuring the 17% SC reservation matrix among 101 sub-castes, with the govt needing to ensure fairness, prevent misuse, and maintain data integrity while implementing the commission’s recommendations.The special cabinet meeting scheduled for Aug 16 to discuss the report is expected to take a final decision on these issues before moving ahead with its implementation.
