Bengaluru: The caste census commission in Karnataka has recommended a significant increase in the reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), suggesting it be raised from the current 32 percent to 51 percent, media reports said.

If accepted by the government, the move would push the total reservation in the state to 85 percent, factoring in the existing 10 percent quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and 24 percent for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST), reported India Today.

The panel has also advised the Congress-led government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to introduce horizontal reservation within the existing employment quota system.

According to the commission, the recommendation is based on data from the caste census, which found that OBCs now comprise nearly 70 percent of Karnataka’s population.

Despite this demographic share, the panel noted that their share in reservations has not kept pace.

The Jayaprakash Hegde Commission has recommended a significant revamp of Karnataka’s reservation structure, proposing a more nuanced categorisation to ensure fairer distribution based on occupation and social conditions.

According to an NDTV report, Instead of the existing Category 1, the report suggests splitting it into Category 1A and Category 1B, with reservation quotas of 6 percent and 12 percent respectively.

The revised framework also recommends 10 percent for Category 2A, 8 percent for Category 2B, 7 percent for Category 3A, and 8 percent for Category 3B.

This comes in contrast to the current reservation system, which allots 4 percent to Category 1, 15 percent to Category 2A, 4 percent to 2B, and 4 and 5 percent to Categories 3A and 3B respectively.

The commission’s recommendations are rooted in reclassifying communities based on their traditional occupations, nomadic status, artisan skills, and caste-based professions.

Some castes currently listed under Category 1 are proposed to be moved to Category 1A, while others from Category 1 and 2A may be shifted to Category 1B depending on their present social conditions.

As per the caste census data, the total population covered was 5.98 crore. Among them, SCs numbered around 1.09 crore, STs 42.8 lakh, and the newly proposed categories included 34.96 lakh under Category 1A, 73.92 lakh under 1B, 77.78 lakh under 2A, 75.25 lakh under 2B, 72.99 lakh under 3A, and 81.37 lakh under 3B.

The comprehensive report was submitted to the state cabinet in over 46 volumes, accompanied by two CDs containing detailed data from the caste survey.