Social ostracising of Scheduled Castes still rampant in society

‘Community can be brought to the mainstream only through education’

K.B. Shanappa, former Minister, and others being felicitated in Kalaburagi on Sunday.

Even six decades after Independence, the people of the Madiga community remain a neglected lot, K.B. Shanappa, former Minister, has said.

He was speaking at ‘Pratibha Puraskar’ organised by Adarsh Kalyan Trust here on Sunday to felicitate meritorious students of the Madiga community and to honour those contributed to society through various fields.

For the Madigas in Karnataka, still battling caste discrimination and untouchability, and who traditionally skin leather for a living, such moments in the mainstream have been few and far between, Mr. Shanappa said, and added that this was despite being the single largest community within the umbrella of Scheduled Castes who make up nearly 20% of the State population. The community could still not become part of mainstream society due to inadequate opportunities, and because most benefits were being extended to other SC communities in the State. Madigas were being deprived of political and social push needed to ensure upward mobility, he stressed.

“Though great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar fought against the caste system, their objective was to emancipate the untouchables, but social ostracising against the SC people was still rampant. Dalits are still prohibited from using resources and working alongside people of other castes,” Mr. Shanappa said, and added that the community could be brought to the mainstream only through educational uplift.

He urged the State government to implement the recommendations of the Justice A.J. Sadashiva Commission Report that recommended internal reservation among castes and broadly reclassified the 101 castes under SCs in the State.

Meritorious students who secured first class in SSLC, PU, Degree and PG courses were felicitated on the occasion.

K.B.Shanappa; M. Lakshminarayana, former Principal Secretary (Social Welfare); Bheemappa Gonal, former chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission; neurologist Umesh T.; and N.Y. Mattihal, professor, Kannada Research Institute, Karnatak University, Dharwad, were felicitated.