SC/ST Tender in Karnataka: The reservation quota for Scheduled Castes (SC) in Karnataka has been increased from 15% to 17%. Similarly, the quota for Scheduled Tribes (ST) has been raised from 3% to 7%. Following this increase, the state’s government plans to implement these expanded reservations in its policy. The tender limit for SC/ST contractors has also been raised from 50 lakh rupees to 1 crore rupees. After intense debates and struggles in the state assembly, this long-standing demand has finally been met. The state’s contractors’ association, representing SC/ST interests, had long advocated for increasing the ceiling from 50 lakh rupees to 1 crore rupees.
The association’s president praised the state government for the decision, stating, «This will help SC/ST community contractors complete ongoing projects and significantly benefit from the increased limit in upcoming projects.»
Need for Revised Reservation
The opposition leader questioned the government and demanded a clear implementation plan for the revised reservation in tenders. It was pointed out that previously, only 24.10% of the 50 lakh rupees was allocated to SC/ST contractors. As the government committed to addressing underrepresentation, this marks the state’s first step in resolving the long-standing issue of tender limits for SC/ST contractors—a demand that had persisted for decades.
Scope of Tender Limit Increase
Last year, the Karnataka state assembly approved a proposal to increase reservations for SC and ST, effectively raising it from 15% to 17% for SC and from 3% to 7% for ST. The state cabinet also strongly supported this increase. Once the cabinet gave its approval, the state government implemented the revised reservation limits of 17% for SC and 7% for ST in tender processes, officially increasing the tender quota.
