The Hindu : Centre to consider State's plea to amend Article 371

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 26, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Centre to consider State's plea to amend Article 371

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 25. The Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna, on Thursday led a delegation of MPs and MLAs from the State to the Centre requesting an amendment to Article 371 of the Constitution to enable the State provide reservation in government jobs and education to the people of backward regions.

Submitting a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the delegation said certain areas of Hyderabad-Karnataka, which were earlier part of the Nizam's State, remained backward and in order to address this, the State had made a representation to the Centre.

The memorandum said people from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region had been agitating against the disparities in different parts of the State.

Mr. Krishna told presspersons that Andhra Pradesh had a special provision as per Article 371-D, while representation for a similar provision by the State was turned down by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K.Advani, in November last.

The Prime Minister said that he would consider the State's plea, according to Mr. Krishna. The delegation, which earlier called on Mr. Advani, was promised that the Centre would take a "second look" on the State's plea.

The Chief Minister said the memorandum had recommendations of the High-Powered Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances under the chairmanship of the former Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission, D.M. Nanjundappa. The memorandum said the committee had highlighted imbalances in all fields, including education and government jobs.

A map prepared by the committee showed the classification of taluks in the State as most backward (39), more backward (40), backward (35), and relatively developed (61). It said the State had proposed to reserve certain posts in the Group C category and all posts in the Group D category for the people of backward districts/regions to give them proper representation in government services, local bodies, universities, and public sector undertakings. With the same objective, reservation at university level had been proposed.

Mr. Krishna and members of the delegation also called on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, seeking the Congress support for the move that required amendment to the Constitution.

The delegation included the Union Ministers, Ananth Kumar and Basangouda R.Patil, the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Jagdish Shettar, the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, D.H.Shankaramurthy, the Home Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge.

In a meeting with the Union Agriculture Minister, Ajit Singh, Mr. Kharge requested the Centre to release 1.65 lakh tonnes of rice for drought relief works.

The State also brought to the notice of the Centre that against the decision of the Union Task Force to sanction Rs.61.63 crore for itself, it had been given only Rs.18.47 crore. Mr. Kharge said the Centre should release funds as a large number of relief works had been taken up in drought-hit areas of the State.

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