Bengaluru, Oct 7 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that the Social-Economic and Academic Survey, commonly known as the Caste Census, will be completed by October 19.

He further declared holidays for government schools across the state to facilitate the enumeration work by teachers.

The government’s earlier deadline for completing the survey is ending today (October 7).

“By October 19, the survey work will be completed. There were some technical glitches in the beginning, which are being fixed now. I thank all enumerators,” said Siddaramaiah while addressing a press conference in Bengaluru after conducting the review meeting.

He stated the Socio-Economic and Educational survey of Karnataka’s population, which began on September 2, was supposed to conclude on October 7; however, it remains incomplete in several districts.

“While 97 per cent of the survey work has been completed in Koppal, only about 67 per cent has been completed in Mangaluru district, showing wide variations across the state,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that the Education Department and the Backward Classes Commission held discussions regarding the delay, as a total of 1.2 lakh teachers and 1.6 lakh staff members are engaged in the survey work.

He said that Congress Legislative Council member Puttanna and the teachers’ association had requested an extension of 10 more days to complete the survey.

“Considering their request, the government has announced holidays for government and aided schools till October 18, accounting for eight working days of leave,” said Siddaramaiah.

The Chief Minister stated that since the II PUC mid-term examinations are being held from October 12, lecturers of pre-university colleges have been exempted from survey work.

“In Bengaluru city, 6,700 teachers are involved in the survey. There are 46 lakh households in the city, and each teacher has been assigned to cover 10-15 houses per day,” he said.

Siddaramaiah has directed that the survey in Bengaluru must be completed before Naraka Chaturdashi.

“Teachers have assured that they will complete the work within the given time frame. Bengaluru has recorded only 36 per cent of the enumeration, which is less. I have spoken to all senior bureaucrats, and they have agreed that before Diwali, the work will be completed,” he claimed.

He also announced that three teachers have died while on survey duty, and the government will provide compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to their families.

“The government will take disciplinary action against those who refuse or hesitate to participate in the survey. In some areas under the Greater Bengaluru Area (GBA), the survey started late due to the election commission duties and other training programmes. Hence, the completion rate in those areas remains lower than elsewhere,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stated that the teachers will complete the syllabus through special classes to compensate for the holidays.

“They have given it in writing, and students won’t miss out on anything academically,” he added.

–IANS

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