KBCC extends Karnataka caste census survey deadline

The Karnataka Backward Classes Commission (KBCC) has extended the socio-educational census being carried out by it for five days, on account of lag in the coverage of the census operations across the city.

The census operations have also been extended by three days in other parts of the state where coverage has been better than what has been recorded in Bangalore.

The census, popularly known as the caste census was launched on April 11 and the deadline for completion of the census was April 30. But with enumerators failing to meet their targets in most parts of the state especially in the urban areas where people tend to be away from homes during the day, the commission has decided to extend the deadline. The president of the backward classes commission H Kantharaju said the census had been extended till May 5. While enumerators had managed to finish 95% to 96% of the survey in the districts only 64% of the survey had been completed in Bangalore city. “ We held a meeting on Thursday and decided to extend the time to complete the census in the state”, Kantharaju said.

The survey is not only a census of caste but also a survey that includes the educational and economic backgrounds of families. The data could help the government to plan new programmes to bring more people into the mainstream of society in the future, he said. The survey would gather information about the original occupation of microscopic communities so that the government can come out with new programmes to revive their occupations or provide alternatives to those communities.

Around 1.33 lakh enumerators including nodal officers and supervisors have been deployed to survey 6.5 crore population in the state. Each enumerator has been assigned 120 to 150 of the 1.25 crore household in the state. The survey requires each family to answer a set of 55 questions on social, economical, political and educational aspects.

Source:: Indian Express