Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 12: Shedding light on the caste census report tabled before the Karnataka Cabinet, law minister H K Patil on Friday revealed that the survey covered data for 5.98 cr individuals out of the state’s estimated 6.35 crore population.
Speaking at a press briefing, minister Patil said that approximately 1.35 cr households participated in the survey, achieving a data coverage rate of 94.17 per cent. However, he noted that around 37 lac households did not participate in the survey process.
The data originates from the 2015 Karnataka Socio-Educational Survey popularly known as the caste census conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for backward classes, which presented its findings to the Cabinet on Friday. A special Cabinet meeting has been scheduled for April 17 to deliberate on the report in detail.
Minister for backward classes welfare, Shivaraj Tangadagi, opened the sealed envelope containing the report during Friday’s Cabinet meeting. The secretary of the Backward Classes Welfare Department, Sanjay Shettennavar, presented the key findings to the Cabinet.
Patil elaborated that the survey report, submitted on February 29, 2024, was based on the socio-educational data collected in 2015 and analysed using 54 indicators. The original survey was conducted between April 11 and May 30, 2015, under the leadership of then commission chairman H Kantharaj.
"Information was collected through Schedule-3 from every household, covering social, educational, economic, occupational, and political representation indicators," Patil said. He added that six subject matter experts were appointed for the survey, with 16 expert meetings held to finalise the methodology.
The data collected from each district was later digitised through a contract worth Rs 43.09 cr signed with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The total cost of the survey stood at Rs 192.79 cr, with Rs 7 cr funded by the central government and the remaining Rs 185.79 cr by the state government. As of now, Rs 165.51 cr has been spent on the project.
To ensure data integrity, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) validated the digitised data and confirmed that the socio-educational survey (SES) data was consistent with the 2011 Census figures, Patil stated.
Due to the expiry of the Kantharaj Commission’s tenure, the report could not be submitted earlier. On November 23, 2020, the state government appointed a new commission under K Jayaprakash Hegde. Using the digitised 2015 data, the new commission prepared the 'Study Report on 2015 Socio-Educational Survey Data – 2024' and submitted it to the government on February 29 this year.
The Cabinet unanimously resolved to hold a detailed discussion on the report on April 17, minister Patil confirmed.