Watch: Will Karnataka implement the caste census report?

Socio-economic and Education Survey commissioned by Siddaramaiah faces opposition, raising questions on implementation and social impact in Karnataka.

The Socio-economic and Education Survey was commissioned by Siddaramaiah during his first tenure as CM in 2014, and was undertaken at a cost of ₹169 crore. It was finally submitted to the state government on February 29, 2024.

After close to 10 years of inordinate delay, the findings are yet to see the light of day.

The report, it is said, includes recommendations for reservation in education and public employment, targeted schemes for backward communities, classifications for castes based on the socio, economic, and educational status.

However, it has faced shrill opposition by dominant caste leaders from both Congress as well as the Opposition. Reasons to reject survey range from the argument that it is based on 10-year-old data, hence outdated, it hasn’t accounted for all the State’s population, and that it is unscientific.

With political pressure mounting from all corners, the big question currently facing CM Siddaramaiah is: To implement or not to implement? Despite internal differences, if the report is accepted, what kind of churn can we expect in the social order in Karnataka?

We discuss in this episode of Decode Karnataka with The Hindu Karnataka’s Resident Editor Bageshree S.

Credits Host: Nalme NachiyarVideo and production: Ravichandran N