Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that Karnataka will carry out a new Socio-Economic and Educational Survey from September 22 to October 7, according to a report by India Today.
Also Read: Karnataka Caste Census: Congress govt to re-enumerate data within 60-80 days after groups raise concerns
Siddaramaiah noted that the caste census conducted in 2015 was never officially accepted by the government. Given that ten years have passed since that survey, he stressed the need for a fresh exercise to reflect the current social conditions, according to the report.
Many religions and castes exist in society. There is diversity and inequality, too.
“Many religions and castes exist in society. There is diversity and inequality, too. The Constitution says everyone should be equal and social justice needs to be done,” the Chief Minister said, as reported by India Today.
Also Read: Dalit woman shares her dating experience with extreme caste discrimination: ‘I’m the hidden phase they never speak of’
The upcoming survey, to be conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, aims to cover the entire population of nearly 7 crore people across 2 crore households in the state. Each household will receive a Unique Household ID sticker, with 1.55 crore stickers already distributed. A 60-question questionnaire will be used to gather detailed information on families’ social, economic, political, and educational status.
To carry out this large-scale exercise, 1.85 lakh government school teachers will be deployed during the Dasara vacation. They will each receive an honorarium of up to ₹20,000, with ₹325 crore allocated specifically for their remuneration. Overall, the state has budgeted ₹420 crore for the survey — a significant increase from the ₹165 crore spent on the 2015 caste census.
Karnataka’s Backwards Classes Commission chairperson, Madhusudhan R Naik, told News18 in an exclusive interview that a specially developed app will help enumerators collect data more efficiently and consolidate it into a unified database.
He also outlined the financial aspects of the survey, which is projected to cost ₹450 crore, a significant increase from the ₹165 crore spent on the 2015 Social and Educational Survey led by the Kantharaj Commission. That earlier survey was ultimately discarded due to resistance from influential communities such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas.
Earlier, on June 12, the Karnataka cabinet decided to conduct a fresh social and educational survey (caste census), effectively discarding the 2015 survey that cost around ₹165 crore, citing legal reasons.
The cabinet referred to Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, which requires revising the state’s backward classes list every 10 years.
(With inputs from agencies)
