Caste census an attempt to reduce number of beneficiaries in guarantee schemes: Karnataka BJP
Bengaluru, Oct 9 – Karnataka’s ruling Congress party has announced that it will run a state‑wide cast‑specimen survey, called the Socio‑Economic and Academic Survey (SEAS), while also planning cuts to the government’s key guarantee schemes.
Opposition leader R. Ashoka said the move is rushed and could be a cover to strip people out of popular welfare programs. He warned that the big guarantee plans—free 200‑watt electricity for every home, free bus rides for women, free rice for families below the poverty line, a two‑year scholarship for unemployed graduates and diploma holders, and Rs 2,000 cash for women heads of households—could be wound down or altogether phased out. The five schemes cost the state about ₹52,000 crore every year.
Ashoka said the survey is being carried out too fast. “Surveyors are sticking stickers outside homes and skipping the detailed questions that were supposed to be in the questionnaire,” he told reporters. “The survey contains odd, irrelevant questions about age at marriage, the amount of jewellery a person owns, or why someone became illiterate—questions that yield no useful data.” He added that the survey would cost huge amounts of money and only serve political ends.
The state government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has now extended the deadline for the survey a second time. “The deadline was tight, but the government managed to push it again as the date approached,” Ashoka said. “People know the survey is being rushed, so many are refusing to participate.”
Ashoka blamed the government for turning the census into a tool to grab data for future political mobilisation. “If you give the government the data, they can cut any benefit or scheme at a moment’s notice,” he said.
The opposition says the survey could pave the way for a wave of cuts, and the centre’s support for the caste‑census could set a precedent that will stir controversy across India. The debate is expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
Source: ianslive
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
