Bengaluru, 19 June

State Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to raise the reservation for minorities in State housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent citing a high number of homeless individuals in the community.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil confirmed the decision after the cabinet meeting, stating the revised quota would apply across all housing schemes run by the Housing Department in both urban and rural areas. Backing the move, Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan said the increase aligns with long-standing demands from minority communities.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar defended the decision, pointing to urban areas like Mandya and Bengaluru where many housing units remain unoccupied. “At least minorities are willing to occupy these buildings,” he said, adding the state has been receiving similar requests for over seven years.

Minister MC Sudhakar also supported the move, noting that the Centre already provides a 15 per cent housing allocation for minorities, and Karnataka is aligning with that standard.

This development follows the controversial Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which provides a 4% reservation for Muslims in government contracts under Rs 2 crore. The Bill, passed on 21 March, faced stiff opposition from BJP and JD(S) and was forwarded to the President for consideration after being returned twice by Governor Thawarchand Gehlot.

Reacting sharply, BJP’s Amit Malviya called the move “blatantly unconstitutional,” accusing the Congress government of appeasement and “ripping apart Karnataka’s social fabric.” He claimed the Constitution prohibits religion-based reservation and termed the move “dangerous social engineering.”