Karnataka's fresh caste census to cost Rs 420 crore: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the state's Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as the 'caste census' will be conducted between September 22 and October 7 at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore.
He said the survey will be conducted "scientifically," with a 60-question questionnaire prepared for the exercise.
"To know the social and educational status of 7 crore people, a fresh survey is being conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, headed by Chairperson Madhusudhan R Naik. They have been asked to complete the survey and submit the report at the earliest. The commission has said it will submit it by December," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
The chief minister said government school teachers will be deployed for the survey during the Dasara holidays. They will be given training and each one of them will survey 120-150 houses in a block.
"About 1,75,000 government school teachers will be employed for the survey, each receiving remuneration of up to Rs 20,000. Remuneration is the major cost component, amounting to around Rs 325 crore. Overall, Rs 420 crore has been allocated for the survey, and additional funds will be provided if needed," he added.
The government had spent Rs 165.51 crore on an earlier Social and Educational Survey in 2015, which was later discarded.
Emphasising that the survey is a crucial step towards achieving social justice and providing equal opportunities for all 7 crore people and 2 crore families in the state, as enshrined in the Constitution, the CM appealed to citizens to participate in this survey, answer all the questions put forth by the enumerators truthfully and to the best of their knowledge.
"To help you prepare, Asha workers will visit your house in advance, before the survey, to provide the application form," he said.
Each household will be geo-tagged using its electricity meter number and will be assigned a Unique Household ID (UHID), a process that has already been completed for 1.55 lakh houses. Even households without an electricity connection will be thoroughly surveyed to ensure no one is excluded, Siddaramaiah said.
During the data collection process, ration cards and Aadhaar details will be linked to mobile numbers. The survey itself will consist of a detailed questionnaire containing 60 questions, regarding details like religion, caste, educational qualification, social situation, employment, land holding among others, he said.
For those who are not at home during the survey and to address grievances, if any, a dedicated helpline number (8050770004) has been set up. Citizens can also participate online, he added.
Responding to a question on this caste census, amid caste enumeration in the national census announced by the centre, Siddaramaiah said, the national census will not have a socio-educational survey data.
The Karnataka Cabinet on June 12 approved a fresh survey, effectively nullifying the 2015 exercise, citing Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, which mandates a revision of the state backward classes list once every 10 years.
The decision followed directions from Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, to hold caste re-enumeration to address complaints from communities excluded from the previous survey.
Several communities, notably Karnataka's two dominant groups--Vokkaligas and Veershaiva-Lingayats--had expressed strong reservations about the 2015 survey, calling it "unscientific" and demanding a fresh enumeration. There were also opposing voices from within the ruling Congress party for the 2015 survey.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
