The Karnataka Socio-economic and Educational Survey of 2025, considered to be the largest such exercise in the state, has covered 6.14 crore people by the time the door-to-door enumeration ended on October 31. This marks an increase from the survey carried out in 2015, which compiled data from 5.98 crore people.
This meant that 89.47 per cent of the projected state population of 6.85 crore people participated in the survey, which started on September 22 this year. While it was initially scheduled to conclude on October 7, the last date for door-to-door enumeration was extended twice. The online window for enumeration will remain open till November 10.
The final number of the survey is expected to hover around the 90-91 per cent mark, and is likely to fall short of the 94.17 per cent enumeration recorded during the 2015 survey.
23% of households marked ‘vacant/locked’
Chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, Madhusudan R Naik, told The Indian Express that the Commission had sufficient data to analyse the socio-economic and educational status of communities in the state. “There is no law (for the number of people required to be enumerated). If enough numbers of persons are enumerated, it is sufficient for analysis,” he said.
During the survey, 34.49 lakh (23.28%) of the estimated 1.48 crore households in the state were marked as ‘vacant/locked’. To a question on districts where such households were located, Naik said that details regarding these houses were “not relevant for our purpose. Debate is not necessary.” Meanwhile, following calls by BJP leaders not to share details during the survey, 4.22 lakh families (2.84%) refused to participate.
In the past, the exercise to ascertain socio-economic status of communities was ascertained by sample surveys, where only a small percentage of the population was enumerated. For instance, the Chinnappa Reddy Commission, formed in 1988, based its recommendations on a sample survey which collected and analysed data from 525 villages across the state.
Enumeration rate crosses 100% in some districts
In a few districts of the state, the enumeration rate exceeded 100 per cent. According to Commission officials, this was due to several Bengaluru residents registering themselves back at their native towns and villages. In Mandya district, the enumeration rate was 110.23 per cent, in Tumakuru it was 106.88 per cent, 103.68 per cent in Haveri, and 103.56 per cent in Chitradurga. Six other districts, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi, Gadag, Koppal, Davanagere and Chamarajanagar, had enumeration rates slightly above the 100 per cent mark.
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Ranking at the bottom is Bengaluru South, where 86.34 per cent of the projected population was enumerated, and Bengaluru Urban with 87.4 per cent. Sources say that the numbers are unlikely to see a major change by November 10, as enumeration through the online mode was much lower.
The survey was commissioned at a cost of Rs 420 crore in August this year after the Karnataka Congress government succumbed to pressure and junked the previous survey report in July this year. The Opposition BJP had opposed the fresh survey, with leaders like Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya announcing that they would refrain from participating. The exercise was also initially met with resistance by enumerators in parts of the state, prompting the government to initiate disciplinary action against several officials who refused to take part.