Caste census report presented to Cabinet; K'taka Govt to decide on April 17

Confirming the development to the media, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated in Bengaluru that the caste census report was presented during the Cabinet meeting on Friday.

However, the recommendations of the report are not yet known.

A few ministers are currently reviewing the recommendations, and once they have done so, the matter will be discussed in the upcoming Cabinet meeting scheduled for April 17 at 4 pm.

“We will discuss the matter in the Cabinet meeting and take a decision,” CM Siddaramaiah said.

Sources stated that during the Cabinet meeting, the caste census report was presented along with the gist of the report.

Sources revealed that the Comprehensive Report of the 2015 Survey contains caste-wise population details; key characteristics of caste groups (Scheduled Castes); key characteristics of caste groups (Scheduled Tribes); key characteristics of castes and communities (excluding SC/ST) and caste-wise data for Assembly constituencies.

“‘Data Analysis Report – 2024’ of the 2015 survey contains caste and community-wise (excluding SC/ST) social, educational, and economic data; caste and community-wise (SC/ST) social, educational, and economic data; taluk-wise, caste-wise report on families and population and information from secondary sources regarding education, employment, and political representation,” sources stated.

The report was submitted in more than 46 volumes and the data was also submitted in 2 CDs to the government on various aspects of the caste survey.

In 2014, Siddaramaiah (during his first tenure as the Chief Minister) ordered the Karnataka Socio-Economic and Educational Census.

A committee headed by the then Backward Classes Commission Chairman, H. Kantharaju, did the survey at a cost of around Rs 169 crore. The report was ready by 2016; it was, however, put in cold storage by subsequent governments.

The Congress and JD(S) coalition government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy and the BJP government headed by B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai also kept the report pending.

In 2020, the Karnataka government headed by the BJP appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the Commission chief, but the report was not made public. Hegde submitted the final report to the Siddaramaiah government on February 29, 2024.

Sources stated that Muslims have been projected as the second-largest population group after SCs/STs in the census report.

Opposition parties, the BJP and JD(S), have opposed the implementation of the report. Major caste groups, such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas, have alleged that the report has done injustice to them in terms of their population representation.

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, said on Friday that the caste census report prepared by the Siddaramaiah government was not scientific.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on the issue, Ashoka, said, "The people conducting the caste census did not visit every household. This report was prepared under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s instructions. Since it has political motives, no one will accept it. I, too, am saying that a caste census should be conducted. But this report was designed to sow discord among castes for someone’s benefit."

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on February 18, declared that the caste census was conducted scientifically and that his government will implement its report without any doubt.

"Our government supports the caste census. We have accepted the caste census report and will certainly implement it in the coming days. There is no need for any doubt regarding this," he assured.