The Karnataka Cabinet accepted a proposal to increase reservation for the Muslim community under its housing schemes. The move will apply to all housing schemes implemented by the Urban and Rural Development Departments across the state.

Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan backed the proposal, which seeks to raise the reservation for minority communities from the current 10 per cent to 15 per cent.

“You’ve to go by population, and minorities are poor and large in number. Hence, we will give them housing allocation. Urban minorities had requested an increase from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. We have decided this,” Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, defending the move.

Backing the decision, Minister MC Sudhakar added that the Centre already provides 15 per cent allocation for minorities, and Karnataka is aligning with that. “It’s the allocation of houses for minorities. Central government has 15 per cent and we have increased it to 15 per cent,” he said.

This move follows the government’s proposal to extend quota benefits for Muslims in contract allocations, suggesting a broader push for increased community-specific welfare initiatives.

The Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to provide 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts of under Rs 2 crore. The bill was passed in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on March 21 amidst significant turmoil and opposition from BJP legislators.

After returning it twice, Karnataka Governor confirmed on May 22 that he has already forwarded the bill for the President’s “kind consideration” under Article 200.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress government in Karnataka of granting reservations in tenders based on religion, alleging that the move “snatched the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs)”.

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