CM Siddaramaiah holds pre-budget meetings with Congress and DSS leaders

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday held pre-budget meetings with Congress leaders from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Tribe communities, and representatives of different factions of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS).

Pointing out that the report social and educational survey report submitted by the Jayaprakash Hegde-led Backward Classes Commission had not been implemented, OBC Congress leaders enjoined on the CM to implement the report that the Madhusudhan Naik-led commission is slated to submit soon.

The OBC leaders urged Siddaramaiah to raise the threshold for the creamy layer from Rs 8 lakh per annum to Rs 12 lakh per annum, besides demanding the resumption of providing pre-metric scholarship to OBC students, which was halted in 2022. Ministers Madhu Bangarappa, N S Boseraju, Chairman of Guarantees Implementation Authority H M Revanna, MLC and the CM’s son Yathindra Siddaramaiah, and former Chairman of the Legislative Council V R Sudarshan were part of the delegation.

One of the leaders who was at the meeting confirmed to DH that the delegation had sought allocation of more funds for development corporations that fall under the ambit of the Backward Classes Welfare Department. “We have urged the CM to search for, and provide land to people from the 46 nomadic communities who are grouped under the OBCs,” the leader added.

The delegation also reportedly sought a one-time waiver of loans taken by people from the respective development corporation of their communities.

Development corporation for Buddhists sought

Meanwhile, DSS leaders are learnt to have expressed their longstanding demand for the shelving of Section 7C of the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan Act that allows the government to expend money allocated under the legislation on education, health and guarantee schemes. Dalit leaders including Mavalli Shankar, Basavaraj Kouthal, Subbu Holeyar, Dr M Venkataswamy participated in the meeting with the CM.

Meanwhile, the leaders are also learnt to have urged the CM to institute a dedicated development corporation for Buddhists.

One of the leaders who was at the meeting said, “Individuals from Scheduled Caste communities who have converted to Buddhism should be allocated funds under the Social Welfare Department, while those from non-SC communities that have converted to Buddhism must be provided funds by the Minority Welfare Department.”