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Hans India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Our survey distinct from Centre's caste census: CM
Karnataka Caste Survey, Siddaramaiah, BJP vs Congress, Social Justice, OBC Rights, Socio-Educational CensusDavangere: Chief MinisterSiddaramaiah on Monday clarified that his government's upcoming socio-educational and caste survey is fundamentally different from the Centre's caste census, emphasising that the state's initiative is driven by the imperative of social justice. His comments follow a gazette notification stating that the nationwide caste census would commence from March 1, 2027 while in certain regions like the Union Territory of Ladakh, snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from October 1, 2026. Addressing reporters here, Siddaramaiah said, 'The Centre is doing a caste census, which will be taken up from 2027. However, it has not said that it will conduct a socio-educational survey. What we are going to do is a socio-educational survey. Caste census will also come under its purview.' He reiterated that the Karnataka government has no objection to the Centre's census but underscored the scope and intent of the state's exercise. 'The Centre is only doing a caste census, while we are undertaking a comprehensive socio-educational and caste survey. The distinction is important.' According to Siddaramaiah, the purpose of the state survey is to gather data that can inform effective welfare measures for backward and marginalised communities. 'We are doing this because, for social justice, we must know the socio-economic and educational status of the people. Without knowing that, it becomes difficult to implement meaningful welfare programmes,' he explained. Asked about the pressure from dominant communities objecting to the previous survey, the CM dismissed the allegation and noted that objections to the earlier survey came from both dominant and deprived communities. 'More importantly, it's been 10 years since the earlier survey was initiated. As per Section 11 of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, a new report must be prepared after every 10 years. That is the legal and administrative basis for our decision to order a fresh survey,' he added. Siddaramaiah further said that he has already instructed the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes to commence the survey work without delay. 'I have already ordered the Backward Classes Commission to do it immediately,' he said. The Chief Minister's remarks come amid an ongoing national debate surrounding caste-based enumeration and its implications for policymaking. Karnataka had, in 2015, undertaken a socio-economic and caste census, but its findings were never officially published due to controversy and pushback from various quarters. The state cabinet on June 12 decided to carry out a fresh survey, aiming to gather updated data. The move follows a directive from the Congress high command, urging the state to initiate caste re-enumeration amid rising concerns from several communities that they were excluded or misrepresented in the earlier survey conducted a decade ago. The announcement also comes at a time when the cabinet was already reviewing the findings of the Socio-Educational Survey submitted to the government, which was based on the 2015 data collection.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Nudged by Congress high command, Karnataka to undertake fresh socio-educational survey
Close on the heels of Congress central leaders asking Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar to undertake a fresh survey of Karnataka's population, the Cabinet on June 12 decided to hold a fresh socio-educational survey — a demand of the politically dominant Vokkaliga and Veerashiava-Lingayat communities. As and when the new survey will be taken up, it would be the second survey of sorts in Karnataka. Incidentally, when the first Siddaramaiah-led government conducted a survey in 2015 at a cost of ₹165 crore, Karnataka was the first State in India to undertake such an exercise after the national survey conducted by the British in 1931. Bihar and Telengana have done the survey after Karnataka completed its survey. When Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's response was asked if the State Government was under pressure from the Congress high command, the Chief Minister said, 'The process was on. The high command has also advised a new survey. 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.' In the post-Cabinet meeting briefing on June 12, Mr. Siddaramaiah told presspersons, 'The Cabinet decided to hold a fresh survey as 10 years have lapsed since the last survey was conducted. As per the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, a fresh survey is mandated after every 10 years. A lot of changes would have taken place in these last 10 years in the social and educational realm.' The Chief Minister claimed that the delivery of social justice was possible on the basis of the new report. He said that the Cabinet had, in principle, agreed to the survey report submitted by K. Jayaprakash Hegde, the previous chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission For Backward Classes. On asked why the State Cabinet accepted the report despite the passage of 10 years, he said, 'Only after discussions started did we realise that, by law and constitutional provisions, it was 10 years old, and a fresh survey was needed. 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.' The 2015 April-May survey by H. Kantharaj Commission, and subsequent submission of its report and recommendations by Jayaprakash K. Hegde Commission in 2025 will be junked. Government sources said that there was opposition from a few Cabinet Ministers to junk the 2015 survey and take up a new one. Stating that the fresh survey would be completed 'within 90 days of notifying', Mr. Siddaramaiah said that members will be appointed to the backward classes commission in the 'next two to three days'. Madhusudan R. Naik was appointed as the Chairperson of the commission in February 2025, but posts of nominated members are vacant. The government appoints five members to the commission, besides the chairperson.
