From internet access to hazard mapping: Karnataka's Social & Educational Survey questionnaire ready

Bengaluru: Have internet access? What about a playground nearby? Is there a main road? Got relatives living overseas?

These are some of the questions that citizens across the state will be asked during the upcoming Social & Educational Survey, which is scheduled to start from September 22.

The questionnaire will have about 60 questions, according to Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes chairperson Madhusudhan R Naik.

"The survey will not be confined to backward classes. It will touch upon various aspects of governance. We need to generate data of all seven crore people in the state, which the government can use to address issues," Naik told DH.

Going by excerpts from the questionnaire that DH has seen, citizens will be asked about their source of lighting: electricity, kerosene/oil lamp, solar or biogas.

Access to transport, healthcare facilities (government or private), burial ground or cemeteries, markets and libraries will be mapped during the survey.

The survey will check for hazards that households may face: flood, sea erosion, drought, landslides, human-animal conflict and forest fires.

"We'll also ask citizens what their needs are. For example, if a respondent is disabled, we'll ask what s/he specifically needs. We'll ask citizens about skill development. There are questions on generational challenges. For example, what was your father doing?" Naik said, adding that survey data will be shared with government departments to plan policy measures.

A team of 11 experts has designed the questionnaire. They include KS James (Tulane University), Surinder S Jodhka (Jawaharlal Nehru University), Arjun Jayadev (Azim Premji University), MR Sharan (University of Maryland), Naveen Bharathi (IIT Bombay), Chaya Degaonkar (economist), Kempaiah C (retired official), Amit Basole (Centre for Sustainable Employment), K Narayana Gowda (former University of Agricultural Sciences vice-chancellor), Puttaswamaiah and Rajesh (faculty at Bangalore University).

'45 minutes ide nimhathra'

The Commission has estimated that one enumerator will need 45 minutes to complete the questionnaire in each household. The survey is estimated to have 1.65 lakh enumerators who will cover about two crore households. One enumerator will cover 150 households.

"The survey will use information from various government databases like ration card and Kutumba. If a person's ration card number is entered, then many fields will get auto-populated," Naik said.