The Constitutional commitment behind providing reservation to socially, educationally and economically deprived sections to bring them into the national mainstream would not be achieved unless and until the government ensures that the benefits reached the deserving members of such communities, said H. Kantharaju, Chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.
Speaking to presspersons after reviewing applications from various communities belonging to backward classes seeking for inclusion under various categories here on Wednesday, he said the government had already fixed the annual income limit to Rs.6 lakh as the criteria for availing reservation benefits for the members of OBCs, including in Karnataka.
Economic criteria
However, he strongly agreed with the arguments coming in from various quarters that economic criteria should be the basis of evaluation of an individual backwardness, so that irrespective of caste all such members remaining truly backward socially, educationally and economically got reservation benefits and joined the national mainstream.
Mr. Kantharaju said he reviewed representations from seven different communities, including the Ahir Gauli, a community claiming to have migrated to Belagavi and other parts of Karnataka, requesting for including them under Category 1.
