Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a new Socio-Economic and Educational Survey set to take place from September 22 to October 7, as reported by India Today. This initiative follows the 2015 caste census, which was never officially recognized by the government. With a decade having passed since the previous survey, Siddaramaiah emphasized the necessity for a fresh assessment to accurately capture the current social conditions.
The Chief Minister stated, “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,” reflecting on India’s demographic complexities.
The survey, organized by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, aims to encompass the nearly 7 crore residents across 2 crore households in the state. Each household will be assigned a Unique Household ID sticker, with 1.55 crore stickers already distributed. Enumerators will utilize a 60-question questionnaire to collect comprehensive data on the social, economic, political, and educational status of families.
To facilitate this extensive endeavor, 1.85 lakh government school teachers will be appointed during the Dasara vacation and will receive an honorarium of up to ₹20,000. The total budget allocated for the survey is ₹420 crore, significantly higher than the ₹165 crore spent on the 2015 caste census.
Madhusudhan R. Naik, chairperson of Karnataka’s Backward Classes Commission, informed News18 about the development of a specialized app designed to enhance data collection efficiency and consolidate the information into a unified database.
Additionally, Naik discussed the financial aspects of the survey, which is projected to cost ₹450 crore, marking a considerable increase from the ₹165 crore expended on the 2015 Social and Educational Survey conducted by the Kantharaj Commission. That earlier survey, however, was ultimately rejected due to opposition from prominent communities such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas.
On June 12, the Karnataka cabinet decided to proceed with the current survey, effectively annulled the previous 2015 survey for legal reasons, as stated under Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, which mandates that the state’s backward classes list be revised every ten years.
