Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 8: The Vishva Devadiga Maha Mandala has appealed to the Devadiga community members to declare their caste as “Devadiga” in the caste column during the upcoming caste-based census in Karnataka.

The Karnataka state government has announced that the caste-wise census will begin from September 7, 2025. It is unfortunate that the backward Devadiga community has not received the constitutional benefits of reservation due to inaccurate population data and misclassification. Some sub-castes have been wrongly merged under the Devadiga category, which has led to injustice, said Dharma Pal U Devadiga, president of the Maha Mandala.

 

During this census, all members of the Devadiga community must ensure they clearly write “Devadiga” in the caste column and avoid entering sub-caste names (like Serigar, Sherigar, Moyily) or surnames (like Bali / Gotra / village-based identifiers), said vice presidents Dr Devaraj K, Annayya B Sherigar, and Nagaraj B Padukone.

This is a golden opportunity to rectify the errors of the previous census. A clear and accurate representation of the Devadiga population will help the community rightfully avail constitutional benefits like reservation and opportunities to ensure economic, educational, social, and political progress, said honorary treasurer Dr Sundar Moily.

For clarification or information regarding the census, community members may contact Dharma Pal Devadiga (9322506941), Dr Devaraj K (9448494789), Annayya B Sherigar (9371020723), Nagaraj B Padukone (9820212271), Hiriyadka Mohanadas (9821111896), Ganesh Devadiga Ambalpadi. (9741884025), or Dr Sundar Moyily (9844913977), stated honorary general secretary Hiriyadka Mohanadas and honorary secretary Ganesh Devadiga Ambalpadi in their joint appeal.