With tardy progress in the last four days in the Karnataka government’s ambitious Social and Educational Survey owing to technical glitches, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instructed all Deputy Commissioners and CEOs of zilla panchayats to expedite the work.
The Chief Minister said that the initial technical glitches have been resolved. He ordered officials to expedite the pace of work. “You must achieve a daily progress rate of at least 10% to meet the target,” he said on September 26.
Karnataka’s second socio-economic survey gets underway amid objections
Karnataka started its second socio-economic survey from Monday (September 22, 2025). The Congress government set aside the report of the first survey, conducted in 2015, as well as the recommendations based on it and submitted in 2024. The second survey, to be conducted over a fortnight by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.
| Video Credit:
The Hindu
Noting the goal of covering all 1.43 crore families in Karnataka, he said only 2.76 lakh families have been surveyed so far, which constitutes less than 2% of the total. The Regional Commissioners and district in-charge Secretaries have been instructed to review the progress of the survey and be actively involved in the work.
The survey commenced on September 22 and would be completed on October 7. He ruled out extending the deadline, and attributed the slow start to technical glitches.
The survey commenced in Bengaluru on September 26. The Chief Minister instructed officials to ensure enumeration starts without delay in the erstwhile BBMP limits, which has nearly 50 lakh households.
Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Ministers participated in the meeting.
During a video-conference with DCs, CEOs and senior officials, Mr Siddaramaiah said that if technical glitches arise in districts, officials should seek the support of IT experts in various departments. All the officials were told to complete the survey work seriously. He warned that legal action would be initiated against government officials and employees for negligence in the survey.
He said the survey work did not just belong to the Backward Classes Welfare Department. He instructed DCs and CEOs to review the progress of the target every day. The Revenue Department, Panchayat Raj Department and the Urban Local Bodies should work in coordination, he added.
“The survey is slow in some districts, and work should be accelerated,” he said. He instructed DCs and CEOs to hire the services of teachers from aided schools, if necessary. The district in-charge ministers were told to monitor the progress.
A total of 1,20,728 enumerators have been assigned for the survey work. A total of 1,22,085 census blocks have been identified. The survey is scheduled for completion on October 7.
All the teachers assigned for the survey have been told to complete the work within the stipulated time. “No teacher should show disobedience to the survey work. This is a government job, and they should not neglect their duties. Action should be taken against negligent enumerators,” the Chief Minister cautioned.
Noting that teachers involved in the survey would be paid a honorarium, the Chief Minister said the amount for payment of the honorarium has been released. He appealed to primary and high school teachers to actively participate in the survey work.
The Chief Minister instructed DCs to appoint a district-level officer as a nodal officer for each taluk to supervise the survey work.
“The survey work should cover every family in Karnataka. Care should be taken that no family is left out of the survey,” he said.
Locked houses
If houses were locked during the survey, steps should be taken to carry out the survey in such houses in the coming days, the Chief Minister said.
Hilly areas
Survey centres have been set up in schools in hilly areas. People can visit these centres to participate in the survey. An option has also been given to participate in the survey online, the Chief Minister said.
Published – September 26, 2025 04:32 pm IST
