Weeks after Karnataka wrapped up its massive Social and Educational Survey on October 31, thousands of enumerators across Bengaluru said they were still waiting for the payments they were promised after completing one of the State’s most tightly monitored data-collection drives.
The enumerators were assured of a fixed amount of ₹5,000, along with additional amount for every household surveyed. On average, each enumerator covered 150 to 200 households. As per the payment structure, they were to receive ₹50 for houses surveyed with two members and ₹100 for households with more than two members, amounting to roughly ₹15,000 to ₹23,000 an enumerator.
However, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) officials involved in the process said the delay was due to the ongoing reconciliation of attendance and household counts. Bengaluru alone had an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 enumerators, according to officials.
“Many did not report regularly, some turned up only for a few days, and a significant number – school teachers had to be relieved once schools reopened. So, calculating the final payable amount is taking time,” an official said.
In the case of districts, the officials said the funds have already been released to the respective Deputy Commissioners, who have in turn been instructed to pay enumerators directly. But in Bengaluru, although bank account details of enumerators are collected and verified already, payment has not yet been made.
Officials from the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes said that ₹23.87 crore has already been released, and nothing was pending from their end.
The enumerators argued that all attendance and survey numbers were logged daily on the mobile app used throughout the exercise. “Officials say they are still counting attendance and houses covered, but these were updated on the app every single day. Whenever there were glitches, we reported it and the issue was fixed immediately. If everything was updated regularly, what exactly are they re-checking now?” asked a Bescom meter reader deployed as an enumerator.
The enumerators questioned why a survey that relied entirely on digital attendance, GPS tagging and real-time data uploads is facing longer delays than older, paper-based exercises. “This was the most technology-driven survey many of us have worked on. Everything was timestamped and mapped. It is surprising that verification is taking so long,” an enumerator from the Higher Education department said.
They also noted the personal expenses they incurred while on duty. “We requested several times that at least part of our travel or service costs be reimbursed, but that was not considered. Many of us had to buy power banks, and instead of taking the bus to our regular jobs, we used our bikes and paid for petrol for over a month. If authorities cannot reimburse expenses, the least they can do is pay on time or tell us how long we are expected to wait,” Ravi S., an enumerator, who was posted in Maruthi Sevanagar, said.
Published – November 21, 2025 10:00 pm IST
