Fight against caste discrimination: K'taka to set-up govt-run salons

Bengaluru: In a bid to fight discrimination against Dalits in the state the Karnataka’s Social Welfare Ministry has proposed setting up government-run barbershops.

Reportedly, the social welfare department, officials have already begun identifying places where these shops can be set up and have recommended that local village panchayats compile lists of those who would be ready to be hired as barbers on a contract basis.

The decision was taken following continued media reports of Dalits in the state being discriminated  over basic needs such as a haircut, in one such case, on 25 June 2019, Dalits of Hulikal village in Hassan district had to walk eight kilometers to Arkalgud to get a shave or a haircut.

The local Dalit organizations had decided to get a barber from a different area to set up shop, however, that has never materialized.

Hulikal, with a population of around 3,000, has about 150 Dalit families and has seen several instances of discrimination.