Community-wise representation in state government services in Kerala show disparities: Report

Thiruvananthapuram: A report of a Kerala government agency on community-wise representation in state government services has brought to light a few disparities, especially regarding the number of Muslim employees currently in office.

According to the data furnished in the state assembly, the total number of government employees in Kerala is 5,45,423 - out of which, 73,774 are Muslims. This amounts to a 13.5 percent representation of the Muslim community in Kerala's state government service. Muslims, however, constitute 26.5 per cent of the total population of Kerala as per the 2011 census.

The caste-wise data of Kerala government employees and the disparities in it has come out at a time when there is a strong demand for a caste census. Moreover, both the Congress and the CPM have often been accused of indulging in minority appeasement in Kerala by the BJP.

The details of the data were furnished by K Radhakrishnan, who recently resigned as SC, ST, and Backward classes welfare minister after being elected to the Lok Sabha. The Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes compiled the data.

Indian Union Muslim League MLA P Ubaidullah, who had raised questions related to this in the Assembly, said that the low representation of the Muslim community in government services with respect to its population in the state is now exposed with release of the data.

The upper caste Hindu Nairs and related communities constitute 1,08,012 (19.8 per cent) of government employees, whereas the total Nair population of Kerala stands at around 14 per cent.

The Hindu Ezhavas, who fall under the OBC category, has a representation of 1,15,075 (21.09 per cent) in Kerala's government services. Around 23 per cent of the state's population are Ezhavas.

Christian forward communities constitute 13.5 per cent (73,713) and Latin Catholics/Latin Christians constitute 4.13 per cent (22,542) of the total number government employees in Kerala. Christians constitute 18.3 per cent of the Kerala population.

1,96,837 employees are from the general category; 2,85,335 represent the OBC community, 51,783 are SCs, 10,513 belong to the ST category, while 955 have been mentioned as no category.