'Too many questions': Social & Educational Survey leaves D K Shivakumar miffed

Bengaluru: The Social & Educational Survey got off on the wrong foot with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who was irritated by sheer number of questions, some of which he refused to answer and asked enumerators to “keep it simple”.

Shivakumar launched the survey in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area on Saturday. As part of the launch, Shivakumar and his wife were surveyed at their Sadashivanagar residence. It took almost an hour to complete the survey.

There are 60 questions and 20 sub-questions in the survey designed by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.

“They should’ve simplified the questionnaire. There are too many questions. I told them they should ask fewer questions. People won’t have patience, especially in cities,” Shivakumar said after his enumeration.

“I refused to answer a few questions,” Shivakumar said, asking officials to focus on capturing population figures. “Caste, educational qualification and whether or not a household has received government benefits. That’s all that’s necessary. There’s no point in asking how many chicken, sheep and goat people are rearing, and how much gold they have,” he said.

“What’s important is to record how many members are there in a household. My mother is in her village. Two of my children are here and another is living elsewhere. You never asked me how many kids I have,” Shivakumar told his enumerator. “Population (figures) should be captured. That’s what people are fighting for.”

Shivakumar urged citizens to participate in the survey. “The High Court has said nobody should be forced to participate. People can say ‘not applicable’ to questions they don’t want to answer. There should be sensitivity while doing the survey in Bengaluru,” he said.

Providing information, Shivakumar said, would help the government provide justice to future generations. “You can participate online, too,” he added.

GBA Special Commissioner Munish Moudgil, Backward Classes Welfare Secretary Thulasi Maddineni and other officials were present during Shivakumar’s enumeration.