Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, April 11: The caste census report for Karnataka was presented at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. However, the state government will decide on the recommendations of the report on April 17.
Confirming the development to the media, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated, "The caste census report was presented during the Cabinet meeting today." He added that the recommendations of the report have not yet been made public.
Several ministers are currently reviewing the recommendations, and once this process is complete, the matter will be discussed further at the next Cabinet meeting on April 17 at 4 pm. "We will discuss the matter in the Cabinet meeting and take a decision," CM Siddaramaiah said.
According to sources, the caste census report was presented along with a summary of the key findings. The Comprehensive Report of the 2015 Survey contains caste-wise population details, key characteristics of caste groups (Scheduled Castes), key characteristics of caste groups (Scheduled Tribes), and caste-wise data for Assembly constituencies.
The ‘Data Analysis Report – 2024’ includes caste and community-wise data (excluding SC/ST) on social, educational, and economic factors, as well as data for SC/ST communities in similar categories.
The report also provides taluk-wise, caste-wise information on families and populations, as well as secondary data on education, employment, and political representation. The full report was submitted in more than 46 volumes, with the data also provided on two CDs.
The caste census was ordered by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2014, during his first term in office. The survey was conducted by a committee under the chairmanship of H. Kantharaju, then Chairman of the Backward Classes Commission, at a cost of Rs 169 crore.
The report was completed in 2016 but was put on hold by successive governments. The Congress-JD(S) coalition government, led by H D Kumaraswamy, and the BJP government under B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, both kept the report pending.
In 2020, the BJP government appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the head of the Commission, though the report was not made public until it was submitted to the Siddaramaiah government on 29 February 2024.
Sources have indicated that Muslims are projected as the second-largest population group after SCs/STs in the census report.
Opposition parties, including the BJP and JD(S), have raised objections to the implementation of the report. Major caste groups such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas have claimed that the report has been unfair regarding their population representation.
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, criticised the report, calling it "unscientific."
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Ashoka stated, "The people conducting the caste census did not visit every household. This report was prepared under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s instructions. Since it has political motives, no one will accept it. I, too, am saying that a caste census should be conducted, but this report was designed to sow discord among castes for someone’s benefit."
In contrast, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the report in a statement on February 18, asserting that the caste census was conducted scientifically. He confirmed that his government would implement the findings without hesitation. "Our government supports the caste census. We have accepted the caste census report and will certainly implement it in the coming days. There is no need for any doubt regarding this," he assured.
The state government’s final decision on the caste census report is expected to be taken at the Cabinet meeting on April 17.