Karnataka Caste Census Report: Taking a step forward on the caste census, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday (October 07) announced that the report will be placed before the Karnataka Cabinet on October 18, so that a decision can be taken on its implementation. He said this after the meeting of OBC ministers and MLAs.
CM Siddaramaiah said, “H.D. During Kumaraswamy’s tenure, Kantaraju had fixed the time for submitting the caste census report, but CM Kumaraswamy did not consider the caste census report. My government considered the request of OBC organizations and we took the initiative and OBC Commission Chairman Jaiprakash Hegde presented the report.”
CM Siddaramaiah told how the decision will be taken?
He further said that there is a demand to implement the caste census report. I said it myself a week ago. We will discuss and take decisions on the implementation of the caste census report in the cabinet meeting. Today, backward class leaders have also emphasized on this. I will present the caste census report in the cabinet meeting. There is opposition to the caste census report. Let’s see what decision is taken in the cabinet meeting? I will take the decision as per the decision of the cabinet.
Has the CM seen the report?
He also said that this is not just a survey of backward classes, but a survey of seven crore people. For the first time in the country, such a survey has been conducted in our state. I have neither seen nor read this caste census report.
Caste census report is being opposed
Vokkalinga and Lingayat, two major communities of Karnataka, have objected to the survey, calling it unscientific and demanded that it be rejected and a new survey should be conducted. Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission under its then Chairman K. Under the leadership of Jaiprakash Hegde, the report was submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on 29 February.
The commission, headed by Jayaprakash Hegde, had said the report was prepared on the basis of data collected from 1.6 lakh officials, including 1.33 lakh teachers, led by the respective deputy commissioners of districts across the state in 2014-15, when H Kantharaju was the chairman. The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) had launched the survey in the state in 2015 at an estimated cost of Rs 170 crore.
