‘Caste census’ starts in Karnataka from today

Bengaluru: The stage is set for the Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as the ‘caste census’ in Karnataka from Monday, amid efforts by various castes and community groups to consolidate their respective population, aimed at ensuring their numerical strength.

However, the survey may be delayed by a day or two in the Greater Bengaluru area, where five corporations have been newly formed, on the request of the authorities for training and necessary preparations.

The survey by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes that will go on till October 7, will see as many as 1.75 lakh enumerators, mostly government school teachers, covering around 7 crore people in approximately 2 crore households across the state.

The survey, at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore, will be conducted “scientifically,” with a 60-question questionnaire prepared for the exercise, according to officials.

Meanwhile, amid criticism and objections from various sections, including within the ruling Congress, regarding the castes list prepared for the survey, containing a number of castes with dual identities -- having both Christian and Hindu caste names -- like ‘Kuruba Christian’, ‘Brahmin Christian’, ‘Vokkaliga Christian’ among others, the commission said, the names of these castes will be “masked”, but not removed.

Backward Classes Commission’s Chairman Madhusudan R Naik on Sunday said the list of castes in the handbook was not for public information and doesn’t have any legal sanctity, it was only to help the enumerators get the list of castes in the drop-down as per the alphabetical order.

He said the App used for the survey will not show these 33 castes with dual identities, with them being masked now. However, the citizen is free to enumerate according to his choice. mpost