Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)

Udupi, Mar 25: Koraga Abhivridhi Sanghagala Okkuta (R) Karnataka-Kerala and Koraga Samaja Bhavan, Jantra Belman, Karkala, have urged the government to facilitate direct recruitment and land rights for educated youth from the Koraga community.

A memorandum was submitted to chief minister Siddaramaiah, highlighting the community’s ongoing struggles despite its significant progress in education.

The Koraga community, recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) by the Government of India in 1986, continues to face severe socio-economic challenges despite decades of organizational efforts. Members of the community, once subjected to untouchability and extreme marginalization, have made strides in education but remain unable to secure employment opportunities that match their qualifications.

Koraga youth have attained various educational qualifications, including SSLC, PU, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, doctorates, medical and law degrees, and technical certifications such as nursing and teacher training. However, despite these achievements, many Koraga graduates struggle to find suitable employment, with some being forced into low-paying sanitation jobs in local governance bodies such as gram panchayats, municipalities, and town panchayats.

The community's applications for employment and land allocation have largely been overlooked, leaving them in a state of uncertainty and frustration. The lack of land ownership is seen as a fundamental issue contributing to their struggles. While a few families in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts were granted land under a 2003 recommendation, many others remain landless. The community has repeatedly appealed for land distribution under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act of 1964 and the Karnataka Land Grant Rules of 1969, but these requests have largely gone unanswered.

The Koraga community has called upon the Karnataka chief minister to intervene and take necessary action for their upliftment.