{"id":4401,"date":"2025-06-14T01:59:33","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T20:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4401"},"modified":"2025-06-14T15:57:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T10:27:32","slug":"did-karnataka-just-flush-%e2%82%b9165-crore-congress-govts-caste-survey-u-turn-raises-eyebrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4401","title":{"rendered":"“Did Karnataka Just Flush \u20b9165 Crore? Congress Govt\u2019s Caste Survey U-Turn Raises Eyebrows”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Karnataka Orders Fresh Caste Census, Scrapping Previous Reports | <\/strong>“Congress\u2019 Caste Survey Flip-Flop: Who Will Answer for the \u20b9165 Crore Loss?”<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

*State government\u2019s decision sparks debate over \u20b9165 crore spent on now-discarded survey*<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Bengaluru:<\/strong> In a significant move, the Congress-led Karnataka government has ordered a fresh socio-economic caste survey, effectively nullifying the findings of two previous reports\u2014one by the Kantharaj Commission and another by former Chief Minister Jayaprakash Hegde. The decision, taken during a special cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday, has reignited political tensions and raised questions about the \u20b9165 crore already spent on the now-defunct census.<\/p>\n

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Image: Representation Purpose | “Taxpayers Betrayed: Karnataka\u2019s \u20b9165 Crore Caste Census Scrapped Without Accountability” <\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why a New Survey?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The government cited legal provisions under the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, to justify its decision. Section 11(1) of the Act mandates a new survey if a decade has passed since the last one.<\/p>\n

“The Kantharaj Commission\u2019s data is over ten years old. Socio-economic conditions have changed, necessitating an updated survey to ensure accurate welfare measures for backward classes,”<\/em>\u00a0CM Siddaramaiah explained after the cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n

The move, however, has drawn criticism from opposition parties, who allege that the government is conceding to their long-standing argument that the previous data was outdated and unreliable.<\/p>\n

Political Fallout<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The BJP, which had previously contested the validity of the Kantharaj report, welcomed the decision.\u00a0“This is a vindication of our stance. The Congress government wasted public money on flawed data,”<\/em>\u00a0a BJP spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Critics argue that the U-turn undermines the credibility of the earlier exercise, which cost taxpayers \u20b9165 crore. With a fresh survey likely to incur additional expenses, concerns over fiscal mismanagement have surfaced.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The government has directed officials to complete the new survey within 90 days, though no cost estimates have been disclosed. The exercise aims to reassess the social, educational, and economic status of backward communities to tailor welfare schemes more effectively.<\/p>\n

However, the abrupt shift has left many questioning the administration\u2019s planning.\u00a0“Will this new survey avoid the confusion and delays that plagued the last one?”<\/em>\u00a0asked political analyst Ramesh Narayan.<\/p>\n

As Karnataka braces for another contentious caste census, the debate over transparency, fiscal responsibility, and political motives continues to simmer.<\/p>\n

Contact For Media Updates: +91-93531 21474<\/span> [WhatsApp].<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Quotes:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

From Officials:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • \n

    “The old data no longer reflects ground realities. A fresh survey ensures welfare schemes reach the right beneficiaries.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0CM Siddaramaiah<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    “This decision proves the previous census was flawed. Taxpayers\u2019 money was wasted.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0BJP Spokesperson<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    “We will complete the new survey within 90 days without compromising accuracy.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0State Backward Classes Commission Official<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    From Experts & Critics:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      “A re-survey is necessary, but the abrupt cancellation raises governance concerns.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Political Analyst Ramesh Narayan<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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      “Why wasn\u2019t this foreseen earlier? \u20b9165 crore is a huge loss for public funds.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Economist Dr. Priya Nair<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      Q&A Section:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

      Q: Why is Karnataka conducting a new caste census?<\/strong>
      \nA: The government claims the previous data (10+ years old) is outdated and doesn\u2019t reflect current socio-economic conditions of backward classes.<\/p>\n

      Q: What happens to the \u20b9165 crore spent on the last survey?<\/strong>
      \nA: The funds are effectively wasted, as the old data will no longer be used for welfare schemes.<\/p>\n

      Q: How will the new survey be different?<\/strong>
      \nA: It aims to provide updated caste-wise data to better allocate welfare benefits, but concerns remain over cost and efficiency.<\/p>\n

      Q: Is this a political move?<\/strong>
      \nA: Opposition parties allege the Congress is yielding to BJP pressure, while the government insists it\u2019s purely administrative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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      Karnataka Orders Fresh Caste Census, Scrapping Previous Reports | “Congress\u2019 Caste Survey Flip-Flop: Who Will Answer for the \u20b9165 Crore Loss?” *State government\u2019s decision sparks debate over \u20b9165 crore spent on now-discarded survey* Bengaluru: In a significant move, the Congress-led Karnataka government has ordered a fresh socio-economic caste survey, effectively nullifying the findings of two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,96],"tags":[996,74,487,82],"class_list":["post-4401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-karnataka","category-politics","tag-caste-census","tag-karnataka","tag-rahul-gandhi","tag-siddaramaiah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4401"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4426,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4401\/revisions\/4426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}