Karnataka caste census: CM Siddaramaiah announces holiday from October 8 to 18 for govt and aided schools

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah (File image)

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced holiday from October 8 to 18 for government and aided schools to complete 'caste survey'. PTI reported the chief minister as saying that the deadline was being extended to complete Social and Educational Survey as work lags in some districts in the state.

CM Siddaramaiah said, "We decided to give holidays after teachers' association requested 10 days to complete caste survey."

Earlier, PTI had reported that the ongoing Social and Educational Survey—widely referred to as the 'caste census'— that was scheduled to end on Tuesday was likely to be extended, as per the memo issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy.

The department had proposed altering the school timings, when it reopens on October 8 after the Dasara holidays to allow teachers to complete the survey work.

After Siddaramaiah's announcement, the government and aided schools in the Greater Bengaluru area are likely to have classes after October 18. The teachers who are appointed as enumerators will take part and complete the survey work after school hours, during this period.

The survey, being conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, began on September 22.

The survey was delayed in the Greater Bengaluru area at the request of the authorities, for training and necessary preparations. The survey is currently underway.

Formal announcement by the Commission regarding the extension of the survey is expected. Conducted at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore, the exercise uses a 60-question questionnaire and is being carried out scientifically, officials said.

The government had spent Rs 165.51 crore on an earlier Social and Educational Survey in 2015, which was later discarded.

(With PTI inputs)