Latest news with #KantharajCommission
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
15-day comprehensive caste and socio-economic survey in Sep
Bengaluru: In a significant move to address social inequality, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah chaired a preparatory meeting today regarding the upcoming Social and Educational Survey proposed by the State Backward Classes Commission. The survey will cover all 7 crore residents of the state and aims to become a model exercise for the entire country. The Chief Minister stated that the primary objective of the survey is to eliminate caste-based discrimination. He stressed the importance of conducting a thorough analysis of each individual's economic condition, including details like land ownership. The data collected through this survey will play a vital role in the formulation of the upcoming state budget. The survey will be carried out from September 22 to October 7 and will span 15 days. All departments have been instructed to begin preparatory measures such as training without delay. The final report is expected to be submitted by the end of October. The government intends to ensure that the survey is conducted in a scientific, transparent, and inclusive manner. It was emphasized that every section of society must be accounted for and no one should be left out. Unlike the previous manual survey by the Kantharaj Commission, which involved 54 questions, this time a mobile application will be used to collect data. More topics are expected to be included in the questionnaire, and the assistance of an expert committee will be sought for finalizing the survey format. To draw insights and improve execution, the state will study the social and educational census conducted in Telangana. A high-level committee will be formed to oversee the entire process. The survey will require around 1.65 lakh personnel, and the government plans to utilize teachers along with staff from other departments to meet the manpower demand. It is imperative that all departments coordinate their efforts to ensure the successful implementation of the survey, especially in Bengaluru city. The meeting was attended by Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, Chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission Madhu Sudan R. Naik, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, the Chief Minister's legal advisor Ponnanna, and other senior officials.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Fresh caste census to kick off on Sept 22, final report by Oct-end
1 2 Bengaluru: Karnataka will launch a fresh, comprehensive door-to-door socio-educational survey — popularly known as the caste census — from Sept 22 to Oct 7, covering the state's population of an estimated seven crore. The massive exercise will involve 1.6 lakh govt employees, including teachers and officials from several departments. The move comes months after the state cabinet decided to shelve the previous caste survey report submitted in Feb 2024 due to widespread discontent over alleged under-reported population figures of politically dominant communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas. That report, initially prepared by the Kantharaj Commission in 2015 and later modified by a panel headed by K Jayaprakash Hegde, was deemed outdated. Chief minister Siddaramaiah Wednesday met with officials from Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (BC Commission) and backward classes welfare department to finalise broad parameters. He said the enumeration must be completed by Oct, setting the stage for a fresh report before Nov. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "We will carry out the survey expeditiously; we intend to submit the report by Nov," said Madhusudan R Naik, chairman, BC Commission. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 7 All-Inclusive Destinations That Accept Credit Card Rewards Liseer Learn More Undo "Preliminary work is underway, and we will begin preparatory exercises such as training surveyors once we prepare a roadmap and schedule." The new survey will include additional indicators such as economic status, political representation, landholding, and employment beyond the 54-question format used previously. "Addressing discrimination of castes is the main focus of the survey," Siddaramaiah said after the meeting. "It should be a model for the country. The next budget will be based on this survey." He said the exercise would be tech-driven this time with a mobile app being used for enumeration instead of manual formats. "The previous survey had 54 questions for respondents. We will have more questions this time. A technical committee will be set up to finalise the questions. The survey should be scientific and transparent," Siddaramaiah said. He also directed officials to set up a high-power committee to oversee operations in Bengaluru, where an earlier survey had lagged due to non-cooperation from people and staff shortages. Since teachers will be involved, the enumeration is scheduled during Dasara holidays to avoid disruption to schools. "Survey work should be transparent, and efforts should be made to ensure that no one is excluded," the CM said, urging officials to take precautions to avoid complaints. He also urged them to study the Telangana model of the 2024 SEEPC survey. GFX At a glance Dates: Sept 22 – Oct 7 (15 days) Population: 7 crore Enumerators: 1.6 lakh (including teachers) Method: App-based survey Data points: Caste, income, land, jobs, representation Report Deadline: By Oct-end (for 2026 Budget)
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Fresh Karnataka caste survey to begin on September 22
The second Socio-Economic and Educational Survey (popularly called caste census) by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes will be conducted from September 22 to October 7. The commission has been told to submit the final report with recommendations before the end of October. The commission has been told to study a similar survey conducted by the Telengana government. This comes amidst some misgivings expressed by experts over the conduct of a fresh survey of the entire population in a short time frame. Survey to cover 7 crore population of Karnataka The survey of the seven crore population of Karnataka will be done by 1.65 lakh enumerators over 15 days. Apart from teachers, employees from various departments of the government would be roped in for the exercise this time. The second survey comes after the government decided to keep aside the first survey conducted in 2015 by the commission headed by H. Kantharaj, the report of which was submitted by the commission headed by K. Jayaprakash Hegde in 2024. Following pressure from land-owning and politically dominant Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats, the government shied away from accepting the report and implementing its recommendations, but the official reason cited was that the survey is based on decade-old data, and a fresh survey was necessary. 'The commission has submitted a proposal to the government to conduct the survey. Addressing discrimination of castes is the main focus of the survey, which should become a model for the country,' Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said after chairing a meeting on July 23 to discuss modalities of the survey. The survey, he said, would be the basis for preparation of the next budget, and that the comprehensive survey would include economic conditions, including land and property holdings, of every person in Karnataka. 'The commission has been told to submit the report before October-end.' He said that precautions should be taken to prevent any scope for complaints. 'Survey work should be transparent, and efforts should be made to ensure that no one is excluded.' The commission should start training and other preparatory work, he added. Will use an app Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the survey would be conducted using an app while the previous survey by the Kantharaj Commission was done manually. 'The previous survey had 54 questions for respondents. We will have more questions this time. A technical committee will be set up to finalise the questions. The survey should be scientific and transparent.' He has directed the commission to have a high-power committee to monitor the survey work in Bengaluru where the previous survey lagged due to non-cooperation of people, and lack of manpower, among other reasons. Backward Classes Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, Commission Chairperson Madhusudan R. Naik and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh were among those present in the meeting.
New Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Conduct caste census on Telangana model: Congress OBC Council to Centre
BENGALURU: AT the inaugural meeting of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) OBC Advisory Council, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declared the proceedings a 'resounding success,' describing it as a significant milestone in the Congress' ongoing commitment to social justice. The event marked the adoption of the Bengaluru Declaration, a document outlining the Congress' policy roadmap for empowering backward classes and marginalised communities across India. The committee called for a nationwide caste census to be conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (ORGI), modelled on Telangana's SEEEP Caste Survey. WhileKarnataka's Kantharaj Commission faced criticism — particularly from Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities — for lacking scientific robustness, the Telangana model has been praised for including extensive socio-economic, educational, and occupational parameters. The Congress leadership emphasised that such a survey must go beyond mere enumeration and function as a tool to address systemic inequalities across communities. Addressing the media, Siddaramaiah lauded LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's unwavering commitment to social justice, describing him as a 'justice warrior' whose fearless leadership compelled the Union Government to consider a nationwide caste census. 'Rahul Gandhi's bold and principled stance forced the Manuvadi Modi government to acknowledge the constitutional demand for a caste census,' the Chief Minister said, crediting Rahul for revitalising the national conversation around equity and representation. The declaration also mentioned relaxation of the 50% cap on reservations to enable appropriate representation for backward classes in education, employment, and politics and implement reservations in private educational institutions as per Article 15(5) of the Constitution. Siddaramaiah also reaffirmed Karnataka's legacy as the first Indian state to conduct a caste census since 1931, branding it the 'Karnataka Model.' He recalled that the original survey, ordered during his 2015 term, faced delays due to political resistance. In 2018, when the socio-economic and educational survey report was ready, then CM HD Kumaraswamy allegedly instructed his ministers not to accept it, despite extensions granted by the Backward Classes Commission, Siddaramiah said. 'Subsequent BJP-led governments also failed to act on the report. Eventually, a fresh report was submitted under the chairmanship of Jayaprakash Hegde. Now, as per a recent cabinet decision, the commission has been directed to conduct a re-survey within three months,' Siddaramaiah said, adding that the findings will be implemented without delay.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CM Siddaramaiah sandwiched as anti-caste survey agitation brews in Karnataka
File photo: CM Siddaramaiah (Photo: ANI) BENGALURU: Congress's decision to undertake a new caste survey in Karnataka has left the Siddaramaiah government sandwiched between a section of backward classes apprehensive of losing their purported advantage of numbers in the Kantharaj Commission's report and dominant communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas that seek re-enumeration. This growing divergence over the upcoming "socio-economic and educational survey" comes days after CM Siddaramaiah's seemingly reluctant acceptance of what he said was the Congress brass's call rather than his government's. Some OBC representatives have been urging the state government to implement the recommendations of the original caste survey report, submitted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backwards Classes last year. Data collated by the Kantharaj Commission is said to favour OBCs, especially communities like the Kurubas that were classified under a separate 1-B category with 12% reservation. The report also proposes doubling the reservation for Muslims from 4% to 8%, which some still deem insufficient. The Shoshitha Vargagala Maha Okkota, which represents "oppressed" OBCs, backwards classes and minorities, has threatened a statewide agitation against the proposed new census. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo K Ramachadrappa, its president and former head of Karnataka Pradesha Kurubara Sangha, questioned the rationale for allegedly discarding Kantharaj Commission report after spending Rs 168 crore on the previous survey. "Govt claims the survey must be conducted once every 10 years, but that is irrelevant since the Kantharaj report was never implemented," he said. "Our demand is to implement its recommendations. We will meet on June 20 to decide the modalities for our agitation." In contrast, the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, both of which had opposed the Kantharaj report, are planning an outreach and an online survey, respectively, to "complement" the survey. B Kenchappa Gowda, president of Vokkaligara Sangha, confirmed his community's plan. Sources said the official notification for the survey could be issued next Thursday, coinciding with Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's birthday. Rahul, who presided over the meeting in Delhi last week where the Congress brass asked Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar to prepare for re-enumeration, is a proponent of "social justice through caste-based surveys". "Procedure will be followed. We are considering suggestions on the survey's modalities and schedule. I will consult CM Siddaramaiah, and an order will be issued soon based on his directive," state backwards classes welfare minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said. The cabinet has fixed a 90-day timeline to complete the exercise. Madhusudan R Naik, chairperson of BC commission, said preliminary work had already started.
