BENGALURU: This Dasara season has brought good tidings for women. The state has increased their quantum of reservation in government jobs to 33% from the current 30%.

This means one out of every three government jobs in Karnataka will be reserved for women. "It will be applicable to all government departments except for emergency services like police and energy," said a senior government official.

The decision follows chief minister Siddaramiah's announcement of 33% reservation for women in the state's workforce in his budget presented this year. "It is necessary to empower women for their elevation in society," Siddaramaiah had said.

The Karnataka Civil Services Rules, 1978, have been amended to increase job quota, on a recommendation by the state legislature committee on women and child welfare. "Though the 3% rise seems modest on paper, actual increase in the workforce would be about 10%," said former minister and Congress MLA Malikayya Guttedar, who headed the committee.

This, he said, is because various departments haven't been able to reach the target of 30%, finding candidates for only 20%-22% of the reserved jobs. Now, the government has made it mandatory to achieve the target, he added. Guttedar said the government will also increase quota for women up to 50% in new recruitments in the education and health departments. This will be done to balance possible shortage in the police and energy sectors to reach the 33% mark.

According to a report, "On an average, women do not make up more than 10% of the police force in Karnataka. We have increased the percentage from 10% to 20% in the ongoing recruitments,'' said ADGP (law and order) Alok Mohan. Primary and secondary education minister Kimmane Ratnakar said the government is planning to recruit around 28,000 schoolteachers.

