In 2019, the Kerala government issued a curious gazette notification which received a lot of attention on social media.
The Pinarayi Vijayan led Communist government in a clear case of appeasement, invited applications through “One Time Registration Scheme for Assistant Surgeon and Casualty Medical Officers with a caveat – the notification had a specific mention that only Scheduled Caste Converts to Christianity (SCCC) could apply.
In India, there is caste-based reservation however, there is no provision under the law which allows reservation under religion. By giving reservation to Hindu converts to Christianity, the Kerala government violated the law.
The decision to reserve seats for SCCC community was due to the failure of the Kerala government’s inability to fill the vacancy even after the third NCA notification, due to paucity of candidates from the SCCC category, or formally Hindus.
After the Kerala government issued the gazette notification, there was a protest on how a government can discriminate on the basis of religion and only allow converts to Christianity who can apply which also limits the loss of qualified individuals.
However, this should not come as a surprise because an entire department in Kerala has been dedicated to the ‘welfare’ of people who have left Hinduism to convert to Christianity which is called Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd.
About KSDC for CC&RC
In its stated goal, the department, which is a government undertaking mentions:
Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts and the Recommended Communities (KSDC for CC & RC) has been created with the aim of enhancing the social and financial needs of the scheduled castes converted to Christianity and the other Recommended communities to the scheduled castes from other backward communities(OBC) of Kerala.
The website notes that the company was formed in came into existence on 1980 ‘for those who have been converted from SC to Christianity and those recommended communities of the SC, with the objective of implementing various loan schemes to uplift their social, educational, economic and cultural developments’.
As per records from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), its balance sheet was last filed on 31 March 2014.
The directors of these companies are also present as directors in other government organizations like Kerala State Pottery Manufacturing Marketing and Welfare Development Corporation Limited, Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation Limited, etc.
Schemes provided for SC/ST converts to Christianity
The Kerala government website could not be more clear that this department was created specifically for SC Hindus who convert to Christianity and one can easily view a host of schemes offered to them from Agricultural Land Purchase Scheme to Foreign Employment Scheme, Marriage Loans to Personal Loans etc.
There are 53 communities which includes Adi Dravidar, Adi Andhra, Adi Karnataka, Arunthathiyar, Chakkiliyan, Chandala, Kalladi, Kudumban, Kuravar, Malayan, Pallar, Paraiyar, Valluvan, listed under the heading ‘Converted Castes’ to which the various loan schemes are benefited.
The following Scheduled Tribes are listed as ‘Recommended Castes’ – Chakkamar, Chemman/Chemmar, Deevara/Deevaran, Kudumbi, Kusavan, Kulalan, Kumbharan, Velaan, Odan, Andhra Nair, Andhuru Nair, Madiga, Pulayan Vettuvan and Scheduled Caste Converted to Christianity.
According to the their website of the Backward Classes Development Department of Kerala, people who became Christians after leaving Hinduism (SC Converts to Christianity) is a separate class recognized as a Backward Class and is given reservation in State Government Services. This reservation is in addition to the reservation given to Latin Catholics and Anglo Indians. The ‘SC Converts to Christianity’ is recognised in the State OBC list as well.
It is noteworthy to mention here that none of the regional managers of this organization have a Christian name.
In 2010, the Kerala government waived off ₹159 crores that were given to the people belonging to the SCCC category and this decision was hailed by Archbishop Vattappara of the Anglican Church of India.
According to a report in The Hindu, “In his address at the inauguration of the loan waiver scheme, undertaken by the Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd. here on Thursday, Mr. Balan said the current loan waiver scheme would write off ₹159 crore and this would benefit nearly one lakh people, mostly belonging to the poorest sections of the society, he said”.
In 2010 for individuals who left Hinduism to convert to Christianity, loans up to ₹25,000 maturing on 31 March 2006 were to be written off fully.
The presence of this body under the Kerala government raises serious concerns as a government body, which is supposed to be secular in nature seems to be blatantly promoting Scheduled Caste Communities to convert to Christianity so that they can avail these benefits.
Not just that, some of the posts in the different department of the state government are only filled by SCCC community members.
This is in direct violation of Article 16 of the Indian Constitution that states that no citizen shall be discriminated in matters of employment under the state, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them.
None of the mainstream media or activists seem to have flagged this problematic organization under the government. It remains to be seen whether any action will be taken on this body which on the face of it seems unconstitutional.
(With inputs from OpIndia)