From revising the creamy layer limit fixed for the beneficiaries of various schemes to adequate compensation for the loss suffered in human-animal conflicts, suggestions are pouring in from the members of the forward caste community members for improving their living conditions.
With 10 days left for the deadline, the volunteers have already covered close to 50,000 houses and met around 1.25 lakh community members for the sample survey conducted by the Kerala State Commission for Economically Backward Classes among Forward Communities, according to commission sources.
There are 164 forward communities in the State, according to a list released by the State government early this year.
Varied suggestions
Most of the respondents sought support from the government for health care, educational needs, and tiding over the pandemic-induced crisis.
While some interviewees sought government aid for the construction of houses, some others complained of the delay in getting the flood-related compensation. A call for restructuring the various Samunnathi schemes offered by the Kerala State Welfare Corporation For Forward Communities also came up.
As many as 10 educational scholarships are offered under the scheme for graduation, diploma courses, Chartered Accountancy courses, MPhil and PhD programmes. Students are also offered financial support for attending coaching programmes for banks, PSC, UPSC and other competitive examinations, civil service, medical and engineering entrance examinations.
The suggestions received so far, according to the sources, could be generally classified into 20 heads. Once the survey is over, these suggestions will be tabulated and a comparative study on how the State government has addressed the similar issues raised by other community members will be carried out.
The consolidated suggestions and the commission’s recommendations will be discussed with the forward caste communities before submitting it to the government, sources said.
NSS stays away
Though the Nair Service Society, which had demanded a comprehensive socio-economic survey in place of the sample survey, has dissociated itself with the exercise, some organisations have volunteered to conduct surveys among its community members and submit the reports to the panel.
These suggestions will also be taken note of while preparing the final report, sources indicated.
