Caste census not done systematically, fresh survey should be done: BS Yediyurappa
Davangere, Dec 24: Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Sunday said state's Socio-Economic and Education Survey, popularly known as the "caste census," was not done systematically, and urged the Congress government in Karnataka to get a fresh survey done and present the facts before the people.
Karnataka's two dominant communities -- Vokkaliags and Lingayats -- too have expressed disapproval about the survey, calling it unscientific, and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey to be conducted.
"There is a feeling in everyone's mind that the survey has not been done systematically. I too have a similar opinion. So, a fresh cast census has to be done and facts have to be made known to people. I urge the government to make honest efforts in this regard," Yediyurappa said.
Yediyurappa, a former Chief Minister hails from the Lingayat community.
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The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) in 2015 had commissioned the social-economic and educational survey, popularly known as the "caste census", at an estimated cost of Rs 170 crore in the state.
The state Backward Classes Commission under its then chairperson H Kantharaju was tasked with preparing a caste census report.
The survey work was completed in 2018, towards the end of Siddaramaiah's first tenure as Chief Minister, but was not accepted or made public.
With pressure mounting on his government, from a certain section, to make public the state's survey, following Bihar government releasing findings of its caste survey recently, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that a decision will be taken once he receives the report.
The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes under its current Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde, which has the caste census findings, has been given time till January 31, 2024 to submit the report to the government.
Commenting on the hijab controversy, Yediyurappa said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should stop sowing the seeds of poison between communities, and that it will in no way benefit him and his party.
"It is good that Siddaramaiah budging under our pressure has withdrawn his statement, at least now let the better sense prevail upon him. We (BJP) are not anti-minorities. BJP believes that Hindus, Christians and Muslims should live together like children of one mother, PM Narendra Modi has said this several times," he said.
Siddaramaiah on Saturday clarified that the administration was only contemplating lifting the ban on wearing hijab in educational institutions in the state and a decision will be taken after holding discussions at the government level.
The clarification came a day after he said that there was no restriction on wearing the religious head scarf in educational institutions and observed that choice of dress and food is personal.
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Over 17,000 people went missing in Delhi in 2024: NCRB
New Delhi (PTI): A total of 23,058 people, comprising 9,482 men and 13,576 women, were reported missing in Delhi in 2024, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Of the total, 5,491 were children below the age of 18 — 1,571 boys, 3,920 girls.
The city recorded 17,567 fresh adult missing persons cases in 2024, comprising 7,911 men and 9,656 women.
According to the NCRB data, released on Wednesday, 14,637 men, 18,238 women and six transgender persons were still missing from previous years.
At the latest count, in 2024, Delhi had a total of 55,939 missing persons cases — 24,119 men, 31,814 women and six transgender persons.
In 2024, police traced or collected 28,392 missing persons, including 12,182 men, 16,208 women and two transgender persons.
Only half of the men and half of the women who went missing could be traced.
A total of 27,547 missing persons – 11,937 men, 15,606 women, four transgender persons — were yet to be untraced by the end of the year, the data showed.
The data also revealed that 5,352 children from previous years remained untraced at the beginning of 2024.
The number of still missing boys was 1,621, and the number of missing girls was 3,729. Two transgender children were yet to be found.
After adding the pending cases from previous years, the total number of missing children cases handled in 2024 rose to 10,843.
The police traced or recovered 6,762 missing children — 2,030 boys, 4,732 girls.
The recovery rate stood at 63.6 per cent for boys and 61.9 per cent for girls, while no transgender child was traced.
By the end of 2024, a total of 4,081 children remained untraced, 1,162 of them boys, 2,917 girls, and two transgender children.
