Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Sep 18: Under the aegis of Dakshina Kannada Valmiki Nayaka Multipurpose Society, members and leaders of the Valmiki community, which are listed under the scheduled tribes, held a press conference stating that the state government was doing injustice to them.

"As per the list of scheduled tribes, about 53 castes are covered. There are about 48 lac people belonging to the Valmiki tribe in Karnataka. As per the central government order, they are eligible to 7.5 per cent reservation. Justice Nagamohan Das committee had recommended extending 7.5 per cent reservation to scheduled tribes but the Karnataka government has not enhanced this reservation for the Valmiki community. Minister, Sriramulu and Ramesh Jarkiholi as well as MLA, Satish Jarkiholi, had promised in the presence of Valmiki Prasannananda Guruji and other Valmiki leaders to extend this reservation benefit to the community. The community will take the agitational path till the promises are kept, the leaders said. They insisted that none of the government facilities has been extended to the Valmiki community in Dakshina Kannada district.

The leaders, who expressed elation at the construction of the temple for Lord Sri Ramat Ayodhya also demanded the construction of a temple in honour of the Brahmashree Valmiki in the temple complex at Ayodya.

The chief patron of Dakshina Kannada District Valmiki Nayaka Multipurpose Service Society, Anjanappa, president, Kumar V H, vice-president, Veerabhadrappa, general-secretary, Ravi Jangiri, treasurer, Siddesh and executive committee member, T M Yogaraj and others were present at the press conference.