The state of Karnataka is gearing up for its second comprehensive socio-educational survey, a monumental effort by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes aimed at enumerating a population of seven crore. The ambitious survey is slated to kick off across most of the state on Monday, September 22. However, residents within the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area will experience a slight delay, with their enumeration expected to begin a couple of days later due to pressing administrative considerations.
This large-scale exercise involves mapping approximately two crore households using electricity connection data, and officials anticipate its completion within a fortnight. A dedicated team of over two lakh teachers and other personnel will be deployed to conduct door-to-door visits, engaging households with a detailed set of 60 questions. To enhance participation and convenience, an online survey option has also been made available for the public.
Each enumerator will be responsible for covering 140 to 150 households, a workload designed to ensure the entire survey is wrapped up within 16 days. To maintain data integrity and prevent duplication, the survey incorporates Aadhaar authentication. Furthermore, collecting ration card numbers will streamline the process by automatically populating certain household data. The commission’s member-secretary, K.A. Dayanand, emphasized the technological backbone of the survey: “Since households are geo-tagged, we can precisely monitor enumeration work to confirm that enumerators are indeed visiting each household. If a house is found locked, a sticker will be affixed, providing contact numbers for residents to arrange their enumeration.”
Bengaluru’s Survey: A Brief Hold-Up
Bengaluru’s segment of the survey faces a short postponement. Madhusudan Naik, the commission’s chairman, informed the press on Sunday of the planned Monday start, but acknowledged, “Due to a request from GBA authorities, we might delay the start by a day or two.” He also hinted that the survey in Bengaluru might extend beyond the initial October 7 deadline.
Mr. Dayanand explained that while Bengaluru’s households are fully mapped and geo-tagged, the delay is purely for administrative convenience. Addressing concerns about academic disruptions, especially as schools resume from October 7, he clarified that in Bengaluru, staff from various government departments, in addition to a limited number of teachers, are being enlisted.
Previous survey efforts in Bengaluru have encountered difficulties, often attributed to factors such as a general lack of public interest, the prevalence of working couples, and access restrictions in apartments and gated communities. For instance, the 2015 socio-educational survey by the H. Kantharaj Commission managed to cover 85% of the estimated population, but the more recent survey of Scheduled Caste households by the H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission only reached about 54% in Bengaluru.
To overcome these historical challenges and ensure broader participation this time, Mr. Dayanand revealed that GBA authorities are planning a system where households can pre-book enumeration slots. This, combined with the online survey option and the geo-tagging for stringent monitoring, is expected to significantly improve the reach of the current socio-educational survey in the bustling city.