<p class="bodytext">The Karnataka government has decided to conduct yet another Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as ‘caste census’, starting September 22. This massive exercise will cover two crore households with the help of 1.65 lakh enumerators and is estimated to cost a staggering Rs 425 crore, a 156% jump from the Rs 165.5 crore spent on the previous survey. The question remains if this expenditure is justified. The earlier survey (2014-2024) conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, headed by H Kantharaj and later K Jayaprakash Hegde, was methodologically sound, but was never published because it challenged entrenched political hierarchies. Out of 50 parameters, only one pertained to caste, while the rest dealt with indicators of social and educational backwardness. Caste was not the central aim but rather a by-product of the data. The data indicated that dominant communities such as Lingayats and Vokkaligas were not as numerically strong as historically claimed, threatening their political and administrative hegemony. Predictably, resistance from these groups ensured that the report was buried, much like the Venkataswamy Commission report in the 1980s during Ramakrishna Hegde’s tenure as chief minister.</p>.<p class="bodytext">If the present survey reconfirms the same demographic shifts, it risks a similar fate. Why, then, should the state repeatedly spend hundreds of crores when the national census could easily integrate a detailed socio-educational survey? A combined exercise would not only be more economical but also less vulnerable to state-level political sabotage. The real tragedy is that political manoeuvring has delayed targeted development of the marginalised. The Jayaprakash Hegde Commission had already identified the ‘most backward’ groups that required urgent State support. However, these communities remain neglected because leaders are busy protecting caste dominance rather than ensuring equity. On the other hand, backward-class leaders have failed to guide their communities responsibly and educate them on how they are being deprived of their benefits, with the upper castes striving to protect their privileges.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The government’s claim that this survey will be more scientific because households left out can submit details online is hardly convincing. A mechanism already exists to update the earlier survey continuously, without the enormous cost of conducting a new one. The upcoming survey may become yet another political football – an expensive ritual to placate interests rather than an instrument of reform. If the government truly believes in evidence-based policymaking, it must ensure transparency, insulate the process from pressure, and above all, act on the findings. Otherwise, Karnataka will squander Rs 425 crore only to repeat history.</p>
<p class="bodytext">The Karnataka government has decided to conduct yet another Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as ‘caste census’, starting September 22. This massive exercise will cover two crore households with the help of 1.65 lakh enumerators and is estimated to cost a staggering Rs 425 crore, a 156% jump from the Rs 165.5 crore spent on the previous survey. The question remains if this expenditure is justified. The earlier survey (2014-2024) conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, headed by H Kantharaj and later K Jayaprakash Hegde, was methodologically sound, but was never published because it challenged entrenched political hierarchies. Out of 50 parameters, only one pertained to caste, while the rest dealt with indicators of social and educational backwardness. Caste was not the central aim but rather a by-product of the data. The data indicated that dominant communities such as Lingayats and Vokkaligas were not as numerically strong as historically claimed, threatening their political and administrative hegemony. Predictably, resistance from these groups ensured that the report was buried, much like the Venkataswamy Commission report in the 1980s during Ramakrishna Hegde’s tenure as chief minister.</p>.<p class="bodytext">If the present survey reconfirms the same demographic shifts, it risks a similar fate. Why, then, should the state repeatedly spend hundreds of crores when the national census could easily integrate a detailed socio-educational survey? A combined exercise would not only be more economical but also less vulnerable to state-level political sabotage. The real tragedy is that political manoeuvring has delayed targeted development of the marginalised. The Jayaprakash Hegde Commission had already identified the ‘most backward’ groups that required urgent State support. However, these communities remain neglected because leaders are busy protecting caste dominance rather than ensuring equity. On the other hand, backward-class leaders have failed to guide their communities responsibly and educate them on how they are being deprived of their benefits, with the upper castes striving to protect their privileges.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The government’s claim that this survey will be more scientific because households left out can submit details online is hardly convincing. A mechanism already exists to update the earlier survey continuously, without the enormous cost of conducting a new one. The upcoming survey may become yet another political football – an expensive ritual to placate interests rather than an instrument of reform. If the government truly believes in evidence-based policymaking, it must ensure transparency, insulate the process from pressure, and above all, act on the findings. Otherwise, Karnataka will squander Rs 425 crore only to repeat history.</p>
