Karnataka's social-educational survey extended till Oct 31 as enumeration process lags behind

Bengaluru: With the Social and Educational Survey in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits failing to catch up with the rest of the state, the government on Sunday decided to extend it in GBA limits till October 31.

The survey will continue in GBA limits from October 23 till October 31 after the Deepavali break.

Other districts have fared much better, with 27 of the 31 districts witnessing more than 90% enumeration. In other districts and parts of Bengaluru Urban outside GBA limits, the enumeration will continue only if there are any leftovers. 

These decisions were taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his home office Krishna. Energy Minister K J George, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Backward Classes Commission Chairman Madhusudan R Naik, GBA Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao and other bureaucrats were present. 

As per the Government of India’s estimation, Karnataka’s population in 2025 is 6.85 crore. Till Sunday, the survey covered 5.97 crore across the state (87%). However, the figures rose to 95% discounting Bengaluru (GBA + Bengaluru Urban).

Teachers relieved

Backward Classes Welfare Department Principal Secretary Tulasi Maddineni told DH that teachers across the state (including Bengaluru) had been relieved from the survey, and that non-teaching enumerators will conduct the rest of the survey.

“During a detailed verification across districts (other than GBA), we saw that some people haven’t been covered. Those people can inform the authorities. In case of such leftovers, the DCs will cover it through local employees. Online self-enumeration will be open till October 31,” she added.

Survey crosses 100% in 7 dists

As per data from the Backward Classes Commission, Mandya saw the highest percentage of enumeration in the state (104.29%), where 17.96 lakh people were enumerated, though the estimated population of the district is 17.22 lakh.

Tumakuru (104%), Haveri (103.42%), Chitradurga (102.92%), Udupi (101.98%), Chikkamagaluru (101.56%) and Davanagere (100.34%) are the other districts where more people have been enumerated than the estimates. 

Bidar (89.46%), Dharwad (88.31%), Ramanagara (86.16%) and Bengaluru (Urban + GBA) with 52% are the only districts with less than 90% enumeration.

‘6-9 pm campaign’

Even during the previous survey conducted by the H Kantharaj-led backward classes commission in 2015 and the statewide survey of Scheduled Castes (SCs) earlier this year, the enumeration had been lacklustre in Bengaluru. This time, the survey also began late in GBA limits (On October 4, while it began on September 22 across the state).  

Munish Moudgil, Special Commissioner, Revenue, GBA, said: “Enumerators are reaching around 30 houses per day. We have reached out to each house in Bengaluru but sometimes the houses are locked. So, we are now doing a special evening campaign from 6-9 pm over the last five days since people, who may have been outside during the day, will then be at home.”

Moudgil noted that the evening campaign had reaped dividends and added that they would continue with it during the extension period (Oct 23-31) too.