Caste census survey was about alleviating backwardness of communities and not about numbers, says Hegde
Bengaluru: The state's socio-economic and educational survey, commonly called the caste census , was meant to measure backwardness of communities, but the report — yet to be officially released in public domain — has been pilloried by representatives of politically dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities who claim their communities have been undercounted and that the survey was "unscientific".However, Jayaprakash Hegde, former chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes , who submitted the final report to the govt last year, defended the report, insisting that the figures are authentic and, in any case, the survey wasn't about numbers alone. Hegde spoke to TOI on the issue. Excerpts:It appears everybody has an axe to grind against the survey report. Was such a reaction expected?I don't know what they are aggrieved about. They should read the report first and then raise objections, if any. This survey is related to socio-economic and educational status, and it will provide solutions to alleviate backwardness of communities. As for the other part (population numbers), I cannot give an answer. Yes, we anticipated reactions, which is but natural when any decision is taken. All I can say to those who claim the report is unscientific is that they should tell us what is not scientific. Only then will we be able to answer their questions.While calculating the percentage of dominant communities such as Lingayats, Vokkaligas and Muslims, was it taken on the overall percentage of Karnataka's population or just on OBC numbers?It was based on the state's population.Vokkaliga and Lingayat representatives allege that their numbers are low because many did not mention their main caste while listing their sub-caste. Do you agree with this explanation?No. We have taken abundant precaution to bring them together; it's all in one list.This report shows the SC-ST population remains at 24%, while numbers of other communities have either risen or fallen. How is this possible?SC and ST people are spread across the state. But, for example, Vokkaligas' presence in North Karnataka is not as significant as in South Karnataka. Castes which are spread throughout the state have a majority. Moreover, there are parameters like family planning, migration that may have affected the numbers. The survey has not taken account of people outside Karnataka.What methodology was used for the survey?The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes prepared a 44-point questionnaire format which was given to teachers and govt employees. These enumerators were trained by officials under deputy commissioners in every district. They went door to door and collected data. We must bear in mind that there was no data on caste after the 1931 Census.Was a fresh SC-ST survey done?The Commission surveyed all castes, including SCs and STs. Govt amended the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, and gave permission to the Commission to survey all communities.With the Centre announcing a national caste census, do you think the state report has lost relevance?It will not lose relevance because there is a state list (OBCs) for reservation.You have welcomed the central govt's decision to enumerate caste. What specific aspects would you like that census to focus on?We conducted a socio-economic and educational survey as it is a challenge to provide reservation based solely on caste. Understanding social and economic conditions makes it easier to decide which category individuals belong to and allocate reservation. I'm pleased with the Centre's decision. I would request the Centre to include socio-economic and educational data also in its census.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Construct verandah outside chief justice's court in 4 weeks: HC to Chandigarh admn
The Punjab and Haryana high court has given the Chandigarh administration four weeks to construct a verandah outside the chief justice's court. The order was passed by the bench presided over by chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sumeet Goel during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL). '...in the face of ensuing monsoon season, which will start in a month's time, urgency arises and therefore, the UT administration is directed to construct the verandah in front of Court Room No. 1, preferably within a period of four weeks,' the bench ordered while fixing the next date of hearing on July 4. On May 28, the Supreme Court had upheld a November 2024 order of the high court directing the Chandigarh administration to construct the verandah, saying it will not violate the UNESCO guidelines. The apex court order came on the petition filed by the UT administration that construction of the verandah without UNESCO's nod could result in the loss of World Heritage status of Capitol Complex, which included the assembly, the high court and the secretariat, designed by celebrated architect Le Corbusier, who planned the entire city of Chandigarh. Currently, a verandah exists only in front of court room numbers 2 to number 9, while visitors to court room number 1 are left to brave harsh summer heat and monsoon rains in the absence of any protective cover. Construction at a heritage site is prohibited without approval from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The committee has already stalled three ambitious projects at the Capitol Complex, including the underground multi-level parking lot, high court's holistic development plan and an AC chiller plant. However, SC said the verandah in front of court room number 1, in alignment with the design of the pre-existing verandahs in front of court room numbers 2 to 9, was absolutely justified and would not violate the UNESCO guidelines. Court seeks proposal for green paver blocks in parking area The high court has also directed UT to submit a proposal for laying green paver blocks in kutcha parking area, established on a green belt, within one week before the building committee of the high court. If due to summer vacations, the committee cannot meet (physically or virtually), the proposals be placed before the chief justice, the bench further directed. The issue of paver blocks in the green belt area was also dealt with by the apex court following UT's reservations. However, SC said the requirement of a proper parking space for the lawyers and the litigants was 'imperative because the pre-existing facility in the high court has fallen woefully short'. The high court was hearing a PIL filed by Vinod Dhaterwal, an office-bearer of the high court employees' association, demanding infrastructure development at the HC complex in the wake of increasing traffic congestion, space crunch and implementation of the holistic development plan. The order regarding construction of verandah and laying of paver blocks had also come during these proceedings.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Another big setback for Maoists: Top commander killed in Bastar forests; third senior leader eliminated this year
Another big setback for Maoists: Top commander killed in Bastar forests, third senior leader eliminated this year RAIPUR/HYDERABAD: Barely a fortnight after gunning down CPI(Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, security forces shot dead his long-time aide, central committee member Sudhakar alias Tentu Lakshmi Narasimha Chalam — the banned outfit's ideological chief — in a forest in Bastar's Bijapur district Thursday morning. Born into a middle class family in Andhra Pradesh's Eluru district, Sudhakar, 67, carried a collective bounty of Rs 85 lakh in Chhattisgarh, Telangana and AP. He is the third central committee member to be killed in Bastar this year after Jai Ram alias Chalpathy and Basavaraju. He was the insurgents' ideological tutor, technical strategist, and political educator rolled into one, running the Maoist network in the three states. Three days ago, TOI had reported that security forces in Bastar have precise information on the locations of nine top Maoist commanders in Bastar division, and an operation to eliminate them is imminent unless they surrender. On Wednesday, police got intel inputs about the location of some Maoist top guns in Indravati National Park. "It was very specific information on the presence of Sudhakar, Telangana state committee member Bandi Prakash, Dandakaranya special zonal committee member Papa Rao, and a few other armed cadres," Bastar Range IG P Sundarraj said. Troops from DRG, STF and CoBRA set out on foot to intercept them, traversing treacherous terrain in the dark, and caught sight of the Maoists early Thursday morning. The gunfight broke out with the rising sun. After a while, police found a body which was later confirmed to be Sudhakar's. He was clad in a blue shirt and an AK-47 had fallen from his lifeless hands. "As in charge of the Maoist ideological training school RePOS (Revolutionary Political School), Sudhakar was involved in misleading and radicalising youth with violent and anti-national ideologies," Sundarraj said. Sudhakar studied at CR Reddy College in Eluru and briefly enrolled for a course in Ayurveda in Vijayawada before abandoning academics. Drawn by radical leftist ideology, he joined People's War Group in 1986, beginning a journey that would last nearly four decades in the Maoist underground. He became a public face during the 2004 peace talks between then AP govt and Maoists. Alongside senior leaders like Ramakrishna and Ganesh, he emerged from the forests to address a public gathering at Guttikonda Bilam in Palnadu. The negotiations, held in Hyderabad from Oct 15 to 18, 2004, focused on ceasefire, land rights, and prisoners' release. However, with talks collapsing soon after, Sudhakar slipped back into the underground, this time into the heart of central India's dense forests. Sudhakar played a key role in the outfit's technical wing, handling communications and equipment logistics vital to guerrilla warfare. Fluent in Telugu, Hindi, and Gondi, he combined political instruction with technical sophistication, a rare dual capability within the movement. His wife, Kakarala Guru Smruthi alias Uma, is also an active Maoist and a state committee member in Dandakaranya zone. Police is hopeful of "more success" in Indravati National Park. Security agencies said nine of the remaining 15 top Maoist leaders, collectively carrying bounties worth Rs 8.4 crore, are hiding in Bastar. "Sudhakar's death is a major success for security forces and is a significant blow to the weakening Maoist leadership, particularly in Dandakaranya region," Sundarraj said. "It's a serious setback for the Maoist movement, particularly in the political education and technical domains," a senior anti-Naxal intel official from AP told TOI. "It creates a vacuum in the leadership structure of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. "
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Another big setback to Maoists, top commander killed in Bastar forests
1 2 Raipur/Hyderabad: Barely a fortnight after gunning down CPI(Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, security forces shot dead his long-time aide, central committee member Sudhakar alias Tentu Lakshmi Narasimha Chalam — the banned outfit's ideological chief — in a forest in Bastar's Bijapur district Thursday morning. Born into a middle class family in Andhra Pradesh's Eluru district, Sudhakar, 67, carried a collective bounty of Rs 85 lakh in Chhattisgarh, Telangana and AP. He is the third central committee member to be killed in Bastar this year after Jai Ram alias Chalpathy and Basavaraju. He was the insurgents' ideological tutor, technical strategist, and political educator rolled into one, running the Maoist network in the three states. Three days ago, TOI had reported that security forces in Bastar have precise information on the locations of nine top Maoist commanders in Bastar division, and an operation to eliminate them is imminent unless they surrender. On Wednesday, police got intel inputs about the location of some Maoist top guns in Indravati National Park. "It was very specific information on the presence of Sudhakar, Telangana state committee member Bandi Prakash, Dandakaranya special zonal committee member Papa Rao, and a few other armed cadres," Bastar Range IG P Sundarraj said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Troops from DRG, STF and CoBRA set out on foot to intercept them, traversing treacherous terrain in the dark, and caught sight of the Maoists early Thursday morning. The gunfight broke out with the rising sun. After a while, police found a body which was later confirmed to be Sudhakar's. He was clad in a blue shirt and an AK-47 had fallen from his lifeless hands. "As in charge of the Maoist ideological training school RePOS (Revolutionary Political School), Sudhakar was involved in misleading and radicalising youth with violent and anti-national ideologies," Sundarraj said. Sudhakar studied at CR Reddy College in Eluru and briefly enrolled for a course in Ayurveda in Vijayawada before abandoning academics. Drawn by radical leftist ideology, he joined People's War Group in 1986, beginning a journey that would last nearly four decades in the Maoist underground. He became a public face during the 2004 peace talks between then AP govt and Maoists. Alongside senior leaders like Ramakrishna and Ganesh, he emerged from the forests to address a public gathering at Guttikonda Bilam in Palnadu. The negotiations, held in Hyderabad from Oct 15 to 18, 2004, focused on ceasefire, land rights, and prisoners' release. However, with talks collapsing soon after, Sudhakar slipped back into the underground, this time into the heart of central India's dense forests. Sudhakar played a key role in the outfit's technical wing, handling communications and equipment logistics vital to guerrilla warfare. Fluent in Telugu, Hindi, and Gondi, he combined political instruction with technical sophistication, a rare dual capability within the movement. His wife, Kakarala Guru Smruthi alias Uma, is also an active Maoist and a state committee member in Dandakaranya zone. Police is hopeful of "more success" in Indravati National Park. Security agencies said nine of the remaining 15 top Maoist leaders, collectively carrying bounties worth Rs 8.4 crore, are hiding in Bastar. "Sudhakar's death is a major success for security forces and is a significant blow to the weakening Maoist leadership, particularly in Dandakaranya region," Sundarraj said. "It's a serious setback for the Maoist movement, particularly in the political education and technical domains," a senior anti-Naxal intel official from AP told TOI. "It creates a vacuum in the leadership structure of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. "
