Karnataka caste survey begins; to be completed in 3 stages

The Karnataka government on Monday began a state-wide caste survey for Scheduled Castes (SC) sub-classification, marking the first step towards implementing internal reservation for Dalits, chief minister Siddaramaiah said. The enumeration exercise will go on till May 17.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the survey was in line with the Congress’s poll promise to ensure equitable distribution of SC reservation.

“The enumeration of scheduled castes is going on in the state. A one-man commission led by the retired high court judge, Justice HN Nagamohan Das, has been constituted. He has been mandated to give a clear report on the sub quota for castes in the SC list,” the CM said.

The panel has to submit its report in 60 days, he said, adding that ₹100 crore will be spent on the exercise and 65,000 teachers will be roped in as enumerators. “Based on the commission’s findings, the Cabinet will take a decision,” Siddaramaiah said.

“As announced in our election manifesto, we are committed to implementing internal reservation. In this direction, we have taken a significant step today,” the senior Congress leader said.

The purpose of this exercise was to prepare empirical data on 101 castes in the scheduled caste list, he said. Data points include socio-economic, political, educational, and employment-related information.

The initiative comes months after the Supreme Court in a landmark verdict on August 1, 2024 upheld the constitutionality of sub-classification within scheduled castes. Karnataka becomes the third state after Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to initiate such a move following the top court’s ruling.

According to officials, the survey will be conducted in three phases. In the first phase, currently underway, enumerators will visit door-to-door for data collection. It will be followed by special camps to collect data of those left out in the first phase. In the third phase, residents will be allowed to submit their caste details through an online self-declaration portal.

Siddaramaiah said there are discrepancies in the status of some scheduled castes. While castes such as Adi Dravida, Adi Karnataka and Adi Andhra are in the ‘Left’ category in some places, they are in the ‘Right’ category in other places. The Justice Nagamohan Das commission will give clear recommendations and prepare empirical data, he added.

“This fresh data will allow us to implement fair internal reservations among SCs, ensuring that the policies are based on real, reliable population figures,” Siddaramaiah said, noting that the 2011 census lacked detailed sub-caste information, making the ongoing exercise necessary.

A mobile app has been launched to assist residents in the process, and a helpline (94813 59000) has also been activated. The CM urged members of the SC community to participate in large numbers.

The development also comes close on the heels of the tabling of the social and educational survey report of the backward castes, popularly called the “caste census”, before the state cabinet. The Congress government in the state is yet to take a call on the backward caste report.

Reacting to the development, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state criticised the government over “delay in implementation” of internal reservations for SC.

“We fear a suspicious delay in the implementation of internal reservation by the Congress government in the state,” former deputy chief minister Govind Karjol alleged. “Siddaramaiah, who portrays himself as a champion of social justice, now appears to have fallen behind other states, hanging his head in shame. The Karnataka government is in a position where internal reservation activists have to bring constant pressure and push the government to act at every stage.”