Caste census re-survey gets cabinet nod in Karnataka

Bengaluru

The Karnataka cabinet has approved a re-survey of the caste census following a special meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The decision comes in light of a directive from the Congress high command, prompting the state government to revisit the contentious caste enumeration.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, CM Siddaramaiah said that the cabinet deliberated on the need for a fresh caste census. He noted that a survey conducted in 2011 had covered the social, educational, and economic status of citizens across 54 parameters and involved door-to-door data collection. Based on the 2011 census, Karnataka’s population was estimated at 6.11 crore. A later estimate in 2015 pegged it at 6.35 crore, with 5.98 crore people actually surveyed.

The original caste census, started on April 11, 2015, and concluded by November 30, 2015, engaged around 1.6 lakh field personnel. Despite the effort, the data remained unutilized due to political reluctance. CM Siddaramaiah revealed that former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy had reportedly pressured the then Backward Classes Commission chief not to accept the report during the coalition government era.

Eventually, Commission head Jayaprakash Hegde submitted a reviewed report to the government on February 29, 2024. However, due to the Lok Sabha elections, it was not tabled. The government has now presented it before the cabinet and received feedback from ministers, paving the way for a re-survey.