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Polity & Governance
Mahesh

01/01/23 20:19 PM IST

Karnataka reclassifies Vokkaligas, Lingayats to raise their OBC quota share

In News
  • Recently, the Karnataka Cabinet decided to categorise the two dominant communities, Vokkaligas and Lingayats, as “moderately backward” from the “backward” category in a move that could increase their share in reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Lingayats
  • The term Lingayat denotes a person who wears a personal linga, an iconic form of god Shiva, on the body which is received during the initiation ceremony.
  • The tradition of Lingayatism is known to have been founded by social reformer and philosopher Basavanna in 12th century Karnataka.
  • Lingayats had been classified as a Hindu subcaste called “Veerashaiva Lingayats” and they are considered to be Shaivites.
  • The emergence of the Lingayat sect can be located within the larger trend of Bhakti movements that had swept across South India from the 8th century AD onwards.
Vokkaligas
  • The agricultural communities of south Karnataka are called Vokkaligas. People belonging to the Vokkaliga community are known as Okkalia of Utkala Kingdom.
  • As a community of warriors and cultivators they have historically had notable demographic, political, and economic dominance in Old Mysore (region).
  • It is believed by some historians that the Rashtrakutas and Western Gangas were of Vokkaliga origin. The Vokkaligas occupied administrative positions in the Vijaynagar Empire.
OBC status in Karnataka
  • Karnataka currently has 32% quota for OBC, and 17% and 7% quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, respectively, taking the total to 56%.
  • The Panchamasali sub-sect of Veerashaiva Lingayats has demanded inclusion in the 2A category which has 15% quota from their current 3B category which has 5% quota.
  • The Vokkaliga community, which is currently in the 3A category, will be moved to a newly-created 2C category with 4% reservation. And the Lingayat community, which is in the 3B category, will now be in a new 2D category with 5% reservation.
  • The increase in reservation from the one granted currently to these communities — 4% for Vokkaligas and 5% for Lingayats — via redistribution of the EWS quota will be based on the population of various communities assessed by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.
Source- Indian Express

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