A delayed start of the Socio-economic and Educational Survey in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits would mean that the exercise will likely be held till October 18. Sources in the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes noted that since the enumeration exercise started only on Saturday, enumerators will have two weeks to complete the exercise. “While teachers are conducting the Survey in other parts of the state, government officials are involved in the Survey in Bengaluru. Therefore, teachers resuming their duties once mid-term vacations end will not have a bearing on the Survey,” a senior official of the Commission told The Indian Express. Data from the Commission shows that 1.22 lakh households were enumerated in the first two days of the Survey. The Commission has projected a total of around 7.5 lakh households for Survey in its preliminary projections for Bengaluru Urban limits, with the numbers expected to increase once the exercise is complete. A meeting regarding the progress of the Survey will be held in the next couple of days, ahead of the scheduled completion of the Survey in other parts of the state on October 7. Except for Bengaluru Urban, the Survey completion percentage was close to 75 per cent. In districts where the progress percentage is less, it could be extended by a few days or online mode could be adopted to complete the process, the official said. However, a final call will be taken during a meeting, which most likely will be chaired by the chief minister. Meanwhile, a Survey carried out at the residence of Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, V Somanna, in Bengaluru, led to a sharp reaction from the minister. He questioned why nine people were required for the questionnaire to be answered. “This is being done only because Siddaramaiah wants caste numbers. Why do you need nine people for one survey? Why ask about sub-castes? Just write down ‘Siddaramaiah caste’ everywhere,” he lashed out at the officials. Accusing the Survey of being politically motivated, Somanna claimed that it was done as part of Siddaramaiah’s vote bank politics. “There are technical flaws. This will end up just like the Kantharaj report,” he said, referring to the previous Survey by the Commission junked by the government earlier this year.
