Published Apr 30, 2026 | 4:08 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 30, 2026 | 4:08 PM
Telangana issued a Government Order (GO) raising reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) to 42 percent in local body elections on 26 September. (Representational image).
Synopsis: Karnataka government’s new SC internal reservation matrix has sparked protests from nomadic communities. Despite being identified as the most backward by multiple commissions, they were denied a separate 1% quota and instead clubbed with better-represented groups. Nomadic leaders argue this reduces opportunities, while the government promises 20% of Category C posts for them.
Last week, the government decided on the internal reservation framework within the overall 15 percent quota for SCs – 5.25 percent has been reserved for SC Left communities, 5.25 percent for SC Right communities and 4.5 percent for others, including nomadic communities.
The decision came after several delays due to legal challenges to the enhanced reservation (17 percent instead of 15 percent) proposed by the government. CM Siddaramaiah said that the additional proposed quota (2 percent for SCs and 4 percent for STs) will be maintained as a “backlog”. “The 6 percent kept aside will remain as a backlog until the final court decision,” he said.
However, the move has angered nomadic communities that have been recognised by the Justice Nagamohan Das commission as the most backward communities among the SCs.
While addressing a press conference on Monday, the Confederation of Untouchable Nomadic Communities accused the CM of “lying” that the nomadic communities would get a 20 percent reservation within group C, where they are clubbed with the relatively more forward Lambani, Bhovi, Korma and Korcha communities.
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The Justice Nagamohan Das Commission had submitted its detailed report on internal reservation in August last year. It classified 101 SC communities into five categories, with nomadic groups being allocated 1 percent reservation, while noting that they are the most backward based on socio-economic and educational backwardness (Category A).
The 59 castes (nomadic + microscopic communities) together constitute about 5.22 lakh (4.97 percent) of the total enumerated population. The commission’s findings underline their deep marginalisation: some of the communities severely lag behind in literacy rates – Adiya, Garoda, Garo, Mang Garudi, Sapari, Siddha are just some of the 59 castes that have a literacy rate of less than 60 percent.
They are rarely found in technical and higher education, the report of the commission notes. Additionally, only a small number of people from these groups have benefited from government schemes. They have not been represented politically so far – there is not a single MLA or Lok Sabha member among the castes belonging to this group.
Only 4,490 persons belonging to the group are employed in government jobs. All communities together have only 0.09 percent in political representation, with 31.83 percent owning land.
Hence, the commission gave these communities a separate 1 percent reservation, instead of clubbing them with other communities.
In fact, it’s not just the Nagamohan Das Commission that gave them this priority, previous committees including the A J Sadashiva Commission and the Madhuswamy committee, set up under different governments, recommended separate reservations for these communities.
Nomadic communities have been demanding a separate 1 percent reservation and their own category in the matrix, as has been recommended by the Das commission.
Protesters, under the banner of the Karnataka Untouchable Nomadic Communities’ Federation and the Federation for Social Justice for SCs, have been staging demonstrations ever since the state cabinet in August 2025 decided to ‘modify’ the recommendations of the commission.
During a meeting with community representatives in October 2025, Siddaramaiah reportedly assured that the government was considering how they could provide a separate 1 percent reservation to nomadic communities.
However, the government has decided to club the 56 communities with those in Category C. The commission’s report describes the 17 communities in these groups, including Lambani, Bhovi, Korma and Korcha, as “slightly more represented occupationally” than those in category A and B.
A total of 43,843 people from the group are employed in government jobs while 6012 are elected representatives. Additionally, 42.60 percent own land.
“If we examine all these factors, these castes have economic, social, educational, political and occupational representation,” the report noted.
The nomadic communities say that clubbing them with relatively well-off groups leaves them with lesser opportunities to overcome their backwardness.
To assuage the community, the government had also announced that one out of every five posts in category C would go to nomadic communities. If no candidate from a nomadic community is available, the post will be directed to other groups within the category.
