Karnataka govt to abide by HC order on caste census: Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi

Bengaluru, Sep 26 (PTI) Karnataka Minister for Backward Class Development Shivaraj S Tangadagi on Friday said the state government will abide by the High Court’s directive regarding the Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as the "caste census", currently underway in the state.

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday declined to stay the survey but directed the State Backward Classes Commission to maintain the confidentiality of the collected data and ensure voluntary participation of citizens.

The survey, being conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, began on Monday and is scheduled to continue until October 7.

"Abiding by law is our duty and responsibility. We will abide by the court’s direction," Tangadagi told reporters here when asked about the HC order to maintain confidentiality.

On whether participation is compulsory, he said, "We (government) too have said the same thing, we have said that participation in the survey is voluntary. We have not put any compulsion in the past and will not do it in the future either." The minister added that the cabinet has warned government officials and staff deputed for the survey of disciplinary action if they fail to participate in the enumeration process assigned to them.

Concerns have been raised about "the slow pace of the survey due to technical and server issues affecting data collection." Enumerators visiting households have faced problems with the mobile application used for the survey in several areas, including server outages, OTP generation failures, and network connectivity issues, sources said.

Asked about technical glitches affecting the survey, Tangadagi said, "Those will be rectified".

According to officials, the survey has been delayed in the Greater Bengaluru area, where five newly formed corporations sought more time for training and preparations.

The survey will involve about 1.75 lakh enumerators, mostly government school teachers, covering around 7 crore people in approximately 2 crore households across the state.

Estimated to cost Rs 420 crore, the exercise is being conducted "scientifically", with a 60-question questionnaire, officials said. The commission is expected to submit its report to the government by December. PTI KSU SSK ROH