The Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (Ambedkarvada) has asked all the deprived sections of society to actively participate in the caste census beginning from April 11 in the State.
Its State Chief Convenor Mavalli Shankar told presspersons here that vested interests were trying to prevent the survey of the deprived sections with ulterior motives. Many Lingayat Maths were opposing it so that accurate statistics of the extent of population and other demographic factors are not collected.
He said Mrityunjaya Swami of Panchamasali Peetha in Kudalasangam and other religious heads were against the census. Many other seers of maths were opposed to the census but had not spoken openly about it, he added.
He said the Anti-superstition Bill, 2013, should be made into a law so that persons who opposed the census by offering superstitious reasons could be punished.
Mr. Shankar said the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilisation of Financial Resources) Act, 2013 needed to be amended to reach the benefits to targeted groups.
Funds
The Act is aimed at earmarking a portion of the State plan outlay for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes in proportion to their population.
Though the government had earmarked a lot of funds for these sections, clause 7 (D) had led to the misuse of crores of rupees, Mr. Shankar said. In cases of non-divisible infrastructure works, the clause provided that a portion of the scheme cost is deemed to have been provided for the Scheduled Caste sub-plan and Tribal sub-plan.
