Date:22/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/22/stories/2006042213100400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government urged to appoint chairman of backward classes panel

Staff Reporter

New survey of backward communities urgently needed, says Sudarshan

AT THE CONFERENCE: Ministers D.T. Jayakumar and Katta Subramanya Naidu, Legislative Council Chairman V.R. Sudarshan and Bangalore University acting Vice-Chancellor B.G. Sudha at the valedictory of the `Educational and Cultural Conference' of the Nat ional OBC and Minorities Employees' Federation in Bangalore on Friday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: It was time the Government appointed the chairman and members of the Permanent Backward Classes Commission to begin the urgent task of a survey of backward communities so that policies and programmes could be effectively drawn up for them, Legislative Council Chairman V.R. Sudarshan said here on Friday.

Presiding over the valedictory of the `Educational and Cultural Conference' of the National OBC Minorities and Employees Federation, Mr. Sudarshan said it was during the stewardship of the late D. Devaraj Urs that the Government came up with several laws that later inspired the Centre to bring in laws that changed the way social justice was delivered in the country.

They included the path-breaking land reforms amendment Act that gave land to the tiller and freed labourers from the stranglehold of absentee landlords.

The laws to abolish bonded labour were another pioneering law that no government could ignore today, Mr. Sudarshan said.

Housing Minister D.T. Jayakumar said the small percentage of people from these sections of society must now do their bit to spread the benefits of reservation over a wider area and cover more beneficiaries, so that the communities could move up.

Minister for Small-scale Industries Katta Subramanya Naidu said though many individuals had overcome discrimination and subjugation to occupy high offices in politics and the social sector, they were yet to make the grade in education and employment The four pillars of democracy should work together to ensure that more from these communities chose higher education and got employed in sectors where they were not found in sufficient numbers.

The federation felicitated Vishal Sharam of Holy Faith International and B.G. Sudha, acting Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University, the first woman to hold the post, though she is only holding charge after the retirement of M.S. Thimmappa.