a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Fresh enumeration will end confusion on caste census: PWD minister Jarkiholi
BENGALURU: PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, who had demanded fresh caste enumeration, told the media on Thursday that there was too much chaos, and a repeat enumeration should end the confusion.
He said the Congress central leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala, besides Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, on June 10 decided to scrap the Rs 165-crore caste census, after complaints that the report was unscientific and its numbers dated.
The decision aims to address objections from certain communities, particularly the dominant Veerashaiva Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, who had labelled the 2015 Kantharaj survey 'unscientific' and claimed it had 'missed them out''.
They claimed their numbers were undercounted.
The 2015 survey, conducted by the H Kantharaj Commission, faced criticism for alleged inaccuracies, including issues like the Sadara community's population being reported as 65,000, with some ministers arguing that classification is erroneous, eg. the Sadara Hindu community being counted separately led to errors. Jarkiholi noted that rectifying data and allowing communities to reclassify their caste identities is crucial.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said they would take 60-70 days for the new survey, though one expert who had served in the Backward Classes Commission warned that completing a full-fledged enumeration of Karnataka's projected 7crore population in 60-70 days could be difficult, if not impossible. The expert said they had used the commission in 2015, but for such an exercise, a proper team needs to be constituted.
The 2015 survey, which covered 95 per cent of the 5.98 crore population, required 1.35 lakh enumerators, and posed logistical challenges, including restrictions on using school teachers during the academic year, could delay the process. He also cautioned that rushing the process could lead to political repercussions for the Congress.
