Karnataka Congress Govt Mulls 4% Muslim Quota In Public Contracts, Total Quota May Hit 47%

Karnataka government is eyeing a 4% quota for Muslim contractors in public works up to ₹ one crore, which could push state tender reservations to 47%. This initiative, intended to bolster minority representation in civil contracts, has stirred reactions among other contractor groups pressing for a fair share in public projects.

Quotas For Muslims In Civil Works

The Siddaramaiah administration in Karnataka is reviewing a proposal to extend reservation to Muslim contractors in public construction (civil) works valued at up to ₹1 crore. If approved, this move would increase the total quota for government tenders in the state to 47%.

This proposal is viewed as part of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s strategy to consolidate support from the Ahinda grouping, which includes minorities, backward classes, and Dalits. However, a senior government official clarified that the initiative is intended to empower communities with limited representation in civil contracting.

Quotas For Other Groups

Currently, Karnataka allocates reserved quotas in civil work contracts for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/STs) at 24%, and for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) across Category-1 and Category-2A at 4% and 15%, respectively. Together, these account for 43% of government tenders. The new proposal would add Muslims under Category-2B with a 4% reservation, though officials confirmed that no final decision has been made yet.

Siddaramaiah introduced contract reservations for SC/ST contractors during his previous term. Earlier this year, the policy was expanded to include two categories of OBCs. Category-1 includes 95 communities, such as the Besta, Uppara, and Dalit Christians, while Category-2A includes Kurubas, Idigas, and around 100 other communities; Siddaramaiah himself belongs to the Kuruba community.

Expanding reserved quotas to include Muslim contractors has sparked concerns among other contractor groups, notably the Vokkaligas and Lingayats. These groups press the Karnataka State Contractors Association to address the matter with the government.

Implementation Via Roster-Based Randomisation

According to an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) L K Atheeq, the state will implement reserved quotas for SC/STs and OBC contractors through a roster-based randomisation system. The engineering division or the tender-inviting authority will serve as the operational unit for this randomisation process.

As outlined in the order, if there are more than four civil works contracts, they will be randomized and distributed according to the government’s roster system. For example, in a batch of four contracts, one will be randomly allocated to each group: SC, ST, Category-1, and Category-2A contractors.

New Demand To Increase Tender Cap

Meanwhile, the Karnataka State SC/ST Contractors Association has formally requested that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah raise the tender reservation cap from ₹1 crore to ₹2 crore. Both the Department of Social Welfare and the Department of Public Works are reportedly in favor of this increase, which is currently under consideration by the finance department.

The proposed changes reflect the Siddaramaiah administration’s continued focus on expanding access and inclusivity within public contracting, aiming to provide fairer representation for diverse communities across Karnataka.

(With inputs Deccan Herald)

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