Karnataka government begins enumeration of Scheduled Castes to collect empirical data

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the enumeration of Scheduled Castes started on Monday, which will go on till May 17.

The second phase of the exercise will be held between May 19 and 21 and designated camps will be organised as part of this phase for the benefit of those who were left out in the first phase.

The third phase, meant for online registration, will also begin on May 19, and it will go on till May 23. Those who are residing outside their towns can make use of this, Siddaramaiah explained.

Addressing a press conference here, the CM said, "The enumeration of scheduled castes is going on in the state. A one-man commission led by the retired High Court Judge, Justice H N Nagamohan Das, has been constituted. He has been mandated to give a clear report on the sub quota for castes in the SC list".

According to him, the Commission has to submit its report in 60 days. Rs 100 crore will be spent on the exercise and 65,000 teachers will be roped in as enumerators.

Siddaramaiah said the purpose of this exercise is to prepare empirical data on 101 castes in the Scheduled Caste list.

He added that the Supreme Court verdict dated August 1, 2024, in the case of the state of Punjab and others versus Devender Singh and others, upheld the constitutionality of sub-classification within SCs.

"Based on the apex court order, we have formed the Justice Nagamohan Das commission," the Chief Minister said.

Siddaramaiah said there are discrepancies in the status of some scheduled castes. While castes such as Adi Dravida, Adi Karnataka and Adi Andhra are in the 'Left' category in some places, they are in the 'Right' category in other places.

The commission will give clear recommendations and prepare empirical data, he explained.

A mobile application has also been developed and a helpline number (94813 59000) has been allotted for this purpose, Siddaramaiah said. He appealed to the people of SC communities in the state to come forward and make this exercise a success.