Multiple wives, ration cards leave enumerators in a fix

“Swami, I have 12 children from three wives. All live in the same house. One takes care of the children and household things; the other wife goes out for daily wage work, and the third travels with me. She takes care of my food and daily needs. Do you want information about all the three wives? Am I supposed to provide information on all the three ration cards issued in the name of my as many wives?”

This was a candid admission by an elder of a family at Nanjaiahanagarahalli, a nondescript village in Gauribidanur taluk in the district, to the enumerators of the socio-economic and educational survey.
In fact, the enumerators have encountered 18 such cases in the village where 82 families reside. The family elders are more than willing to provide information about their multiple wives and a dozen or two children, about multiple ration cards, Aadhaar cards and Epic cards, but the enumerators are finding it difficult to record the data in the census form, which has 55 questions.

the census form. Most of the families in the village own three to four ration cards, as the elders of the families were found having multiple wives and each wife possessing a card. We are finding it tough to record the data provided by the elders of extra-large families,” a government school teacher working as an enumerator told Deccan Herald.

“If a person has three wives, his name will be included in just one ration card issued in the name of one of his wives. In the census form, there is a provision to mention polygamy in the column next to his name, but there is no provision to mention the cards without his name, but the family still gets to enjoy the benefits of government schemes,” the enumerator explained.
Children sent to beg

Most of the families at Nanjaiahanagarahalli under Nagaragere hobli have multiple ration cards, Epic cards and Aadhaar cards. But their lifestyle has not changed a bit. They send their children for begging.

They keep travelling from village to village and the elder of the family and his wives do some odd jobs for sustenance. They do not avail themselves of government benefits despite having the cards, the enumerator added.