The previous socio-economic survey, conducted in 2015 during Siddaramaiah’s earlier tenure as chief minister, covered 5.98 crore people out of an estimated 6.35 crore population, at a cost of ₹165 crore.
Published Jun 12, 2025 | 10:55 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 12, 2025 | 10:55 PM
The decision follows a high-level meeting convened by the Congress central leadership in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Synopsis: The Karnataka Cabinet has formally approved a fresh caste-based socio-economic and educational survey of backward classes, to be completed within 90 days, a day after it was first proposed following a high-level meeting with the Congress high command in Delhi. The new survey seeks to address grievances expressed by the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities regarding the decade-old previous survey, which was formally accepted earlier this year.
A day after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced that the state government was considering a fresh caste census, the Cabinet on Thursday, 12 June, formally approved a new socio-economic and educational survey of backward classes, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said following a special Cabinet meeting.
The state government aims to complete the survey within 90 days. Siddaramaiah pointed out that similar exercises had been completed more swiftly in other states, such as Telangana, where it was conducted in 70 days.
Retired Advocate General Madhu Sudhan Naik has been appointed Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes. The remaining members are yet to be named.
The decision follows a high-level meeting convened by the Congress central leadership in New Delhi on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and General Secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala.
The discussions reportedly focused on concerns raised by Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities over discrepancies in the earlier survey, with the Congress leadership viewing a new count as essential to “ensure fairness and inclusivity”.
The previous socio-economic survey, conducted in 2015 during Siddaramaiah’s earlier tenure as chief minister, covered 5.98 crore people out of an estimated 6.35 crore population, at a cost of ₹165 crore.
The survey began on 11 April 2015 and concluded on 30 May 2015, with participation from approximately 1.60 lakh staff and 1.33 lakh teachers.
Siddaramaiah stated that the decision to carry out a fresh survey is based on Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995. The Act mandates a new survey every ten years, and since the last was in 2015, the provision has now come into effect.
He added that party leaders at the national level had also been consulted.
“They pointed out that the previous report, prepared in 2015, is now a decade old, and that the Act mandates a re-survey after ten years,” he said.
As required under Section 11(2) of the Act, the Commission’s advice will be sought prior to commencing the survey. The state government has said it intends to adhere to this provision.
Responding to questions on whether this effort duplicates any work being planned by the Union government, Siddaramaiah clarified that the Centre has made no announcement regarding any caste-based socio-educational survey.
The state, therefore, is proceeding independently, under the ambit of state law.
The government has positioned the survey as a move to advance social justice and to update data on backward classes in line with present socio-economic and educational conditions.
The chief minister also took the opportunity to criticise previous governments for failing to act on the 2015 survey report, prepared under then Commission Chairperson H Kantharaju.
He said the report was not officially received by the JD(S)-led coalition government headed by HD Kumaraswamy, who served as chief minister from 2018 to 2019.
During that period, Puttarangashetty held the portfolio of Minister for Backward Classes. Siddaramaiah alleged that the report was not accepted and that Kumaraswamy had even “threatened” the then Commission chairperson, Kantharaju.
Following the fall of the coalition, the BJP formed the government through ‘Operation Kamala’, but the report remained unacknowledged during its tenure as well, the Chief Minister said.
The BJP government subsequently appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the new Commission chairperson, and new members were inducted.
In 2023, after the Congress returned to power, Hegde once again approached the government and submitted a report.
Siddaramaiah said the report’s receipt was delayed due to the parliamentary elections, but it was officially accepted in February 2024 and later placed before the Cabinet for discussion in 2025.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
