To Fix Poll Math, Siddaramaiah Government Seeks Scheduled Tribe Status For Fishing Communities

It an attempt to woo the fishing community, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka is planning to resend a list of fishing communities like Bestha, Moghaveera, Kharvi and Ganga to the centre for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, Mint has reported.

In Dakshina Kannada on Sunday (7 January) as part of his statewide tour, the Chief Minister had announced schemes worth several hundred crores of rupees, including a scheme for loans at a low interest rate of 4 per cent for the fishing communities.

Siddaramaiah’s visit came days after the killing of 28-year-old Deepak Rao in Katipalla, an incident that raised tensions in the area. A 47-year-old man, identified as Ahmed Basheer, was attacked by unidentified assailants the same day. The government has announced that it will provide Rs10 lakh compensation for the grieving families and a government job for Rao’s brother.

“Our Hindutva is of humanity and not that of demons,” Siddaramaiah said during his visit to Udupi. He also visited a temple and a mosque in the region.