Balachandra Jarkiholi

BANGALORE: The Government will consider waiving loans granted to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries in the State, Social Welfare Minister Balachandra Jarkiholi has said.

He was speaking at the State-level pourakarmikas' convention organised by Karnataka State Corporation, Municipality, Town Municipality Pourakarmikara Maha Union here on Wednesday.

Stating that the rate of recovery of such loans had been very poor, Mr. Jarkiholi said, "While the SC/ST and Minorities Development Corporation has disbursed loans to the tune of Rs. 735 crore, only Rs. 123 crore have been recovered so far. There are several requests for waiver of the remaining amount and we will consider it."

The Minister said he would discuss this issue with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and convince him that like farmers, members of the SC/ST community too needed such benefits.

Expressing displeasure that officials from the urban local bodies did not properly utilise the 18 per cent grants set aside for the welfare of SC/ST communities, the Minister said the Government would soon issue an order directing all corporations and municipalities, including the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) not to divert these funds for any other purpose.

Contract workers

He said the Government was aware of the problems faced by the contract pourakarmikas. "We know that you are doing a thankless job. But please ensure that your children do not continue your profession. I wish they should study well and become IAS and KAS officials. SC/ST communities are economically backward only because of lack of education," he added.

The pourakarmika union leaders, who submitted a memorandum to the Minister, urged him to implement the Fifth Pay Commission's recommendations for contract pourakarmikas too. "We want the Government to regularise our services and consider us on a par with permanent pourakarmikas," the former Mayor of Mysore Narayan said.

Demanding that wages for contract pourakarmikas should be the same all over the State, union general secretary A. Jairiem pointed out that the wages for these workers were fixed at Rs. 3,975 in Gulbarga following the intervention of the former Chief Minister and leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh.

"We are struggling to get the same amount fixed for contract pourakarmikas all over the State and the Chief Minister has promised us that," he said.

The other demands included good quality houses, assistance for higher education of pourakarmikas' children and other facilities, he added.

Minister for Youth Services and Sports Alkod Hanumanthappa also spoke. BBMP Joint Commissioner (Development) Anjan Kumar and Managing Director of Ambedkar Development Corporation Baladev Krishna were present.

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