Karnataka to conduct fresh caste re-enumeration in 60-70 days: CM Siddaramaiah
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a fresh caste re-enumeration. The Congress high command directed this action. It addresses concerns from communities excluded in the 2015-16 survey. The re-enumeration will take about 60-70 days. The previous report is principally accepted. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the data is old. Vokkaligas and Veershaiva-Lingayats raised reservations.
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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said his government will conduct a fresh caste re-enumeration exercise in the state in about 60 to 70 days, following a directive from the Congress high command.According to official sources, the modalities for the re-enumeration are likely to be discussed during the cabinet meeting on Thursday.The Congress top brass on Tuesday directed the state government to undertake a caste re-enumeration in Karnataka to address the concerns of certain communities who claimed that they were excluded from the caste survey conducted 10 years ago."The high command said that some complaints have come because the survey had happened in 2015-16, it has almost been nine-ten years old. So in a short period, in about 60-70 days a re-enumeration will be done. We are not rejecting the entire report (given by the Backward CLasses Commission). Principally the report is accepted, only re-enumeration will be done," Siddarmaiah told reporters in Chikkaballapura.Asked if he was disappointed with the party high command's directive for re-enumeration instead of acting on the report under the consideration of the cabinet, he said, "We will go by the high command's decision. It is not my decision, it is not the decision of the cabinet or our government, it is a decision of the high command. High command has asked for re-enumeration." The decision comes even as the Social and Educational Survey report, popularly known as 'caste census' was under the consideration of the state cabinet.Addressing media in Kalaburagi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said re-enumeration is essential as the data available is 10 years old."The criterias that were used in the earlier survey will remain, along with that if anything was left out it will be added. But the re-survey is essential because the data available is ten years old and in ten years many have come into OBC, many were added. So considering all these things a fresh survey has to be done, nothing other than that," he said.Various communities, especially Karnataka's two dominant ones -- Vokkaligas and Veershaiva-Lingayats -- have expressed strong reservations about the caste survey that has been done, calling it "unscientific", and have been demanding that it be rejected, and a fresh survey be conducted.Objections were also raised by various sections of the society, and there are also strong voices against it from within the ruling Congress.After a long wait, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes' survey report was placed before the cabinet for the first time on April 11.The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) had in 2015 commissioned the survey in the state.The State Backward Classes Commission, under its then chairperson H Kantharaju, was tasked with preparing a caste census report.The survey work was completed in 2018 towards the end of Siddaramaiah's first tenure as Chief Minister, and the report was finalised by Kantharaju's successor K Jayaprakash Hegde in February 2024.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Caste survey for social justice: Siddaramaiah
The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday formally announced the decision to carry out a fresh caste-based socio-educational survey across the state within a 90-day timeline, scrapping the earlier 2015 exercise and its subsequent 2024 report. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the move after a special cabinet meeting in Bengaluru. 'We have taken a decision in the cabinet. It was a unanimous decision that a new survey is to be conducted,' he said. The government will consult the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission (KSBCC), which will oversee the survey and submit its report within the stipulated time. Siddaramaiah said, 'The government will consult the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission… we are going to give 90 days' time to survey afresh and to give the report.' The CM said the decision was in line with Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, which mandates a new survey every 10 years. 'After considering all aspects and the law, as it has been 10 years since the Socio-Educational survey was conducted by the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission, the cabinet has decided to go for a new survey; and as per Section 11(2) of the Act, it has been decided to consult the commission in this regard.' The Congress high command, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, directed the state earlier this week to initiate a fresh enumeration, citing concerns of underrepresentation of communities in the earlier exercise. Asked whether the move was made under pressure, Siddaramaiah responded, 'Just because they asked us to do a new survey, we are not doing it. We have not succumbed to pressure from the high command.' Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, also present at the post-cabinet press briefing, echoed this sentiment, stating, 'We don't want political colour. We want social justice. For this reason, we have decided to conduct a caste census again. The opposition parties, who criticised the previous report, are now talking the opposite way.' He said the decision was made after carefully considering public opinion and the views of legislators. 'Anyone can say anything. We have given our consent to the re-examination of the caste census after understanding the feelings and opinions of the people and legislators.' The 2015 survey was conducted from April 11 to May 30 by over 1.6 lakh staff, including 1.33 lakh teachers. It covered 5.98 crore people out of an estimated 6.35 crore population at the time, based on the 2011 Census. The survey had been based on 54 parameters through a door-to-door process. Despite the exhaustive nature of the 2015 survey, it was widely criticised—especially by Karnataka's two dominant communities, the Vokkaligas and the Veerashaiva-Lingayats—who termed it 'unscientific' and demanded that it be rejected. Siddaramaiah noted, 'It is not a question of Vokkaligas or Lingayats. Other backward communities have also given their suggestions.' There was also opposition within the ruling Congress party to accepting the 2015 data. 'Only after discussions started did we realise that, by law and constitutional provisions, it was 10 years old, and a fresh survey was needed,' Siddaramaiah said. 'The provision in the Act is clear that a new survey has to be conducted every 10 years, after which a new list of backward classes could be drawn up by either deleting existing castes or adding new ones.' Siddaramaiah also clarified that although the cabinet had earlier considered the recommendations submitted in February 2024 by the K Jayaprakash Hegde-led commission—based on the 2015 data—it was now deemed outdated. 'The delivery of social justice is possible on the basis of the new report,' he added. When asked what would happen to recommendations such as increasing Muslim reservation to 8%, the CM said, 'After the new survey it will be re-examined.' Responding to a question about the Centre's announcement on including caste data in the national census, he said Karnataka's survey would differ because 'they have nowhere said that they will do a socio-educational survey'. The 2015 survey, conducted under then KSBCC chairman H Kantharaju, had not been accepted during Siddaramaiah's first term as CM (2013-18). He explained that after Congress lost the 2018 election, the then CM HD Kumaraswamy allegedly blocked the acceptance of the survey report. 'Kantharaju had approached the then backward classes welfare minister Puttarangashetty with a request to receive the report, but the then CM Kumaraswamy put pressure on the minister not to receive it,' Siddaramaiah alleged. Later, the BJP government appointed K Jayaprakash Hegde, who was with the party at the time, to head the commission and submit a report based on the old data. Although the report was submitted on February 29, 2024, parliamentary elections delayed cabinet discussions on it until April. The report was placed before the cabinet for the first time on April 11 and discussed in 3-4 meetings since then. Asked about the survey cost, Siddaramaiah declined to comment. He, however, confirmed that members to the Backward Classes Commission would be appointed 'in the next two to three days,' and arrangements would be made to allow Kannadigas living abroad to participate in the survey online. 'This is the original intention of the Congress party,' Shivakumar added. 'Our aim is to involve everyone in the society.' BJP MLC N Ravikumar objected to taxpayer money spent in crores for the 2015 survey if its data were to be rejected in the end. Ravikumar said the Congress's suggestion to re-enumerate the data collected under the 2015 social and educational survey was a 'slap' to the Siddaramaiah-led government, which originally commissioned and supported it during its first term. 'The Congress high command has done injustice to the backward classes. The Congress high command also slammed Siddaramaiah, saying that it was 10 years old and the figures were old,' he said. Ravikumar, who is also the chief whip of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, added that Siddaramaiah had intended to implement the caste census figures submitted by the Permanent Backward Classes Commission but changed his stance after returning from Delhi. 'Many in Congress had objected to the caste census figures. However, Siddaramaiah had said that he would implement it. But he says that he would conduct a new caste census after returning from Delhi. If so, why did he spend ₹165 crore of taxpayer money? Siddaramaiah, who was called the champion of the backward classes, has done injustice to them,' he said. Shivakumar challenged critics within opposition ranks: 'Let Kumaraswamy, Vijayendra, and Ashok hold a press conference again and say that they should accept the old report… The opposition parties are talking one thing in the past and another in the future.'
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Congress: SC report can't be used for impeachment of Justice Verma
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Siddaramaiah urges Naidu to lift ban on transport of Totapuri mangoes
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has written to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, requesting the immediate withdrawal of a ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka into Chittoor district. The directive, reportedly issued on June 7 by the Chittoor district collector, has triggered concerns in Karnataka over its impact on inter-state trade and farmers' livelihoods. In his letter dated June 11, Siddaramaiah called the move unilateral and said it undermined the spirit of cooperative federalism. He cautioned that such decisions, made without consultation or coordination, could provoke tensions and lead to retaliatory actions, further straining the movement of goods between states. 'I am writing to convey my deep concern over an order reportedly issued by the district collector of Chittoor on June 7, imposing a ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from other states into the district,' the chief minister stated. 'I understand that multidisciplinary enforcement teams comprising officials from the revenue, police, forest, and marketing departments have been deployed at the inter-state check-posts adjoining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to implement this directive.' The clampdown has caused alarm in Karnataka's border regions, particularly in Kolar district's Srinivasapura taluk, where Totapuri mango cultivation is a key source of income for farmers. Protests erupted in the area on Wednesday, with farmers staging a taluk-level bandh to demand both a support price for mangoes and a rollback of the ban imposed by Andhra Pradesh. The Karnataka government has already initiated communication at the bureaucratic level. Chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh wrote to her Andhra Pradesh counterpart K Vijayanand on June 10, urging the revocation of the ban. Siddaramaiah highlighted the economic fallout of the ban, saying the disruption of established supply chains between Karnataka's growers and Chittoor's mango processing units could result in major post-harvest losses. 'The current restriction has disrupted this well-established supply chain and threatens significant post-harvest losses, directly impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers,' he wrote. 'I am also concerned that this may lead to avoidable tension and retaliatory measures, with stakeholders already expressing discontent that could potentially disrupt the inter-state movement of vegetables and other agricultural commodities.' The chief minister appealed to Naidu to intervene and issue appropriate directions to district officials to reverse the order. 'I trust that you will treat this issue with the seriousness it warrants, and take swift steps to restore the seamless movement of agricultural produce in the interest of farmer welfare,' he said. Totapuri mangoes, widely grown in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district and mainly supplied to pulp manufacturing units, have seen a sharp fall in prices over recent years. While the district administration had fixed a rate of ₹30,000 per tonne last year, it has been revised to ₹12,000 per tonne this year due to market conditions. Andhra Pradesh government officials speaking on the condition anonymity said market prices have dropped to ₹5–6 per kg. To support farmers, the government has set a procurement price of ₹8 per kg for pulp units and is offering an additional ₹4 per kg as support, enabling farmers to earn ₹12 per kg. In contrast, Karnataka has not announced any price support, and mangoes from there are reportedly being sold at ₹5–6 per kg, leading to pricing concerns.
