📜 KARNATAKA CASTE CENSUS: Counting to Understand or Divide?

Lines in the Ledger – Counting Caste in Karnataka
“When identities are measured in decimals, what remains unseen is often the most powerful.”

Theme & Tags:
🧮 Social Justice, Governance, Caste-Based Policy, Backward Class Welfare
📘 Category: Indian Polity & Society | GS Paper 1 & 2

📊 Opening Whisper

Not every number is neutral. Sometimes, what we count shapes what we choose not to see.

🧾 Key Highlights

• What Was Submitted?
  • Karnataka Caste Census Report delivered to CM Siddaramaiah on Feb 29, 2024
  • Based on 2015 socio-educational survey
  • Verified by IIM-Bangalore: found aligned with 2011 Census data
• Scope:
  • Covered 13.8 million households (~94.17% of state)
  • Cost: ₹192.79 crore
  • Conducted by 160,000 officials, including 79 IAS officers
  • Used 54 indicators: caste, income, education, occupation, etc.

📘 Report Structure

• Purpose: Inform policy formulation for backward class development

⚖️ Controversies & Criticism

• Leaked findings suggest reduced percentages for Lingayats and Vokkaligas
• Critics claim:
  • Survey lacks scientific robustness
  • May be politically motivated
  • Risk of electoral and social polarisation
• Supporters argue:
  • It provides a data-backed foundation for welfare policies
  • Fulfills long-standing demand for evidence-based reservation restructuring

🔮 Future Implications

• Cabinet to decide how to use findings
• Could influence:
  • Caste-based welfare allocation
  • Reservation recalibration
  • Electoral strategy in Karnataka
• May set a precedent for other states to undertake similar caste surveys
• Could revive national discourse on caste census in India

📚 GS Mains Mapping

• GS Paper 1
  • Role of Caste in Indian Society
  • Social Stratification & Mobility
• GS Paper 2
  • Welfare Policies for Backward Classes
  • Governance & Political Implications of Data
  • Federalism & State-Specific Data Collection

🗃️ A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk

Census is not merely arithmetic—it is a mirror. But whether we look into it for clarity or control is the real question.

🧩 Closing Whisper

In a state where numbers decide needs, may our metrics be as mindful as our intentions.