Karnataka: Congress Government in Karnataka Plays 'bed-and-pillow' Politics to Woo Dalits | Bengaluru News - Times of India

BENGALURU: The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka is all set to ensure a good night's sleep for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students: It will replace the old cotton and coir mattresses in government hostels with comfy pocket-spring mattresses and soft pillows. The state cabinet on Wednesday approved the social welfare department's proposal to purchase 1.72 lakh pocket spring mattresses for the students.

These mattresses are wrapped with pocket springs that adjust to the contours of the body. While 61,382 mattresses and pillows will be supplied for SC and ST students staying in the pre and post-metric hostels run by the department a whopping 1,11,410 mattresses will be given to residential schools and colleges of Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS), a state-run organisation. A total of Rs 81 crore has been earmarked towards purchase of these pocket-spring mattresses.

The decision to introduce pocket spring mattresses, probably the the first of its kind in the country, is expected to get some brownie points for the Siddaramaiah government, which is making all efforts to consolidate the Dalit votebank ahead of the 2018 assembly polls. A senior IAS officer told The Times of India: "A mattress has a lot of personal connect, it will not only make youngsters from the weaker sections happy but will also make their parents realise that the government is genuinely concerned about the welfare of their children. This mattress-method of politicking will be an emotional game-changer as it comes at a time when BJP state leaders are visiting Dalit dominated localities and eating food in the houses of Dalits.

" However, the social welfare department officials denied political motives and maintained that it was high time the coir and cotton mattresses in hostels were replaced by the pocket spring mattresses. "Most of the mattresses are old and have become hard, we need to ensure that the students from lower economic and social strata too get a good sleep," sources in the department said. In fact, the Siddaramaiah government had earlier announced the construction of 110 hostel buildings for SC and ST students and taking up repairs in 1,338 hostels across the state at a cost of Rs 995 crore.

The government has also taken up construction of 873 bathrooms and 883 toilets in hostels meant for SC and ST students. Download The Times of India News App for Latest City .