Caste census: Backward Classes welfare dept seeks nod for analysis of 2015 raw data by BEL

Bengaluru: The Backward Classes Welfare Department has sought the state government's approval for going back to public sector company BEL to analyse the raw data from the 2015 Social and Educational Survey, in what is seen as a sign that the Siddaramaiah administration is preparing the ground for a decision on the contentious caste census. 

After the survey was done in 2015, the government had roped in Bharat Electronics Ltd to digitise the data. 

Now, according to a top source, Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangagadi has been given a file seeking his nod or that of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to approach the BEL again for specific caste-wise data on social, educational and economic indicators. 

Further analysis is crucial to buttress two key recommendations made by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (KSCBC), which did the caste census: enhancing OBC quota from 32% to 51% and introducing 'creamy layer' policy for groups that come under Category 1.  

While the Commission has already provided an analysis across seven volumes, the proposed exercise would help the government recheck the data on its own.

"If we are to introduce 'creamy layer' for Category 1A and 1B, communities that will get affected would surely ask for data proving that they're not backward enough to avail reservation benefits," the source who has direct knowledge of this said. "We need specific data about each community on education, housing, land and so on, which can be obtained from answers to the 54 questions in the questionnaire. Thus, a pointed analysis of the raw data available is necessary," the source said. 

The 2015 survey covered 5.98 crore people. The government is favouring a data analysis by BEL as it cannot go through such a large dataset by itself. BEL may be given a list of specific aspects that need data analysis, which is estimated to cost Rs 2 crore. The government also owes the PSU around Rs 45 lakh for computing the 2015 caste census data. The data, digitised by BEL, is stored at the state data centre.

The state's population in the 2011 Census was 6.10 crore.

According to the backward classes welfare department, the projected population of the state in 2015 was 6.5 crore. The 2015 survey in the state covered 5.98 crore persons. Going by this, the survey did not count around 52 lakh people.