In a significant move, the State government on Thursday recommended to the Centre that the Kuruba community (currently under OBC list) be brought under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah belongs to the Kuruba community.
In a letter to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Principal Secretary (Social Welfare) Manivannan P. stated that the government had received several representations from the Kuruba community associations seeking inclusion in the ST list. It cited a report by the Mysuru-based Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute that carried out an ethnographic study of the community and submitted a report in March this year.
“The Cabinet discussed the report and agreed to forward it to the Government of India. Hence, the report is submitted for taking appropriate action to include the Kuruba community in the Scheduled Tribes list of the State,” the letter to the Centre stated.