Bengaluru caste survey delayed; deadline extended beyond October 7

BENGALURU: The ongoing socio-economic and educational survey, commonly known as the caste survey, in Bengaluru is facing delays as technical issues and slow progress hinder timely completion. The government is now set to extend the survey deadline beyond the initial October 7 target.

With over 32 lakh households across Bengaluru to be covered, each enumerator is expected to complete between 283 and 300 surveys within 15 days. However, with each survey reportedly taking about 45 minutes and frequent technical glitches disrupting the process, meeting the deadline has become increasingly unlikely.

The survey commenced on Saturday but experienced a slow start due to software problems, long travel distances, protests by some enumerators, and difficulties navigating the survey application. By the end of the first day, only 22,141 surveys had been completed across the five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority.

Currently, about 80% of Karnataka’s caste survey has been completed, but the delay in Bengaluru’s portion remains a concern. The government has announced that the survey deadline will be extended, with the final report now expected to be submitted in December.