Socio-edu survey: Chief Secy Shalini Rajneesh asks GBA chief, some DCs to speed up

With merely four days left for the social and educational survey to conclude, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh has written to Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao and deputy commissioners of some districts with less enumeration, to speed up the process.

In her letter dated October 14, the chief secretary said: “The chief minister has checked the progress of districts where the enumeration has been lesser than 80%. Since the survey cannot be extended again, the chief minister has directed respective DCs and their teams to ensure that the enumeration is complete by October 18th.”

As per the chief secretary’s letter to DCs, 80.75% enumeration has been completed across the state (except GBA) while the data by the Backward Classes Commission mentions that 91.46% enumeration has been completed across the state (except GBA).

This difference is because the estimate used by the chief secretary considers the population of Karnataka as around 7.65 crore (6.14 crore excluding GBA), while the commission’s estimates are based on the UHIDs. Other estimates project the state’s population at around 6.8 crore.

As per official data, Yadgir, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Kodagu, Ballari, Bidar, Raichur, Mysuru, Chikkaballapur, Dharwad, Vijayanagara, Belagavi, Bengaluru Urban and Kolar had an enumeration lesser than 80%.

The chief secretary wrote a separate letter to Maheshwar Rao, in which she reminded him it was estimated that the survey would be completed in GBA limits by October 18 or 19 if each enumerator completed 15-16 households per day.

“As of October 13, only 30% households were covered and (an enumerator) is covering only 7-8 houses per day. This shows that enumerators are not providing the expected results and the supervisors aren’t doing their job properly.”

Explaining that it was very difficult to extend the survey, she requested Rao and the five commissioners of the five corporations to provide personal attention to the matter.