Chitradurga
Prakash Bailapatar, Working President of the State Bailapatar Association, has appealed to members of the Bailapatar community across Karnataka to clearly record their caste name as Bailapatar in the upcoming Socio-Economic and Educational Survey to be conducted by the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission from September 22.
He urged community members in districts including Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ballari, Vijayanagar, Koppal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Davanagere, Shivamogga, and Chitradurga to ensure accuracy while filling out the caste column.
Explaining the details, he said:
- In Serial No. 8 of the survey questionnaire, “Hindu” should be entered under religion.
- In Serial No. 9, caste should be entered as Bailapatar.
- In Serial No. 10, respondents should mention that there is no sub-caste.
The Backward Classes Commission has listed 1,565 castes for the survey, with Bailapatar recorded at Serial No. 101. The caste is already included in the Category-1 list of backward classes and is also recognized among nomadic and semi-nomadic castes by the state government.
Highlighting their unique identity, Bailapatar said the community has a small population and is culturally distinct from others. Their mother tongue is Jagannathi, an Oriya-origin language without a script. Respondents should clearly state this in Question 15 of the survey.
For Question 30 on family occupation, Bailapatar suggested members indicate: “Making and repairing small ornaments from iron, copper, brass, stone, and silver,” which corresponds to Other Occupations, Serial No. 81 in the survey form.
He stressed that correct and uniform entries would ensure the community’s identity and rightful recognition in government records.
