The Karnataka government is hoping to receive the much-awaited report of the Social and Educational Survey-2025 conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes by January 2026.
According to the government sources, the commission is yet to get secondary data from certain government departments, even as other data processing is being undertaken. “We expect that the secondary data will be made available by departments that have so far not complied with the Commission’s request by the end of December. We are hoping to receive the report from the Commission by January end,” sources said, adding that the compilation of data would not take much time.
Earlier deadline
The commission headed by Madhusudan Naik had earlier been tasked with submitting the report by December 2025. After completing the door-to-door survey by October 31 and online window closing on November 10, about 6.15 crores of the estimated 6.85 crores population in Karnataka was covered in the survey which commenced of September 22.
Meanwhile, the commission has asked government departments for secondary data to understand adequate representation in government services, sources said. Adequate representation is mandated by Article 16(4), which is derived from secondary data and backwardness under Article 15(4) through data compilation from the survey. Incidentally, the previous commission had not considered adequate representation and relied heavily on backwardness.
Sources said that since the court is seized of the matter, utmost care is being taken by the commission in preparation of the report and recommendations.
After facing resistance from dominant Vokkaliga and Veerashaiava-Lingayat communities over the 2015 survey conducted by H. Kantharaj Commission, the report of which was submitted by K. Jayaprakash Hegde Commission in 2024, the State government junked the report on the grounds that the data was old, and tasked the current commission to submit its report by December.
₹240 crores spent so far
Meanwhile, the State government has said that ₹240.72 crores have been spent so far of the ₹348.36 crores allocated to the survey. The government has released ₹212.27 crores towards payment of honorarium to the enumerators across the State. More than 1.5 lakh enumerator had taken part in the survey.
In a written reply by the Backward Classes Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi in the Legislative Assembly to a question from BJP member V. Sunil Kumar, the Minister said that the process of preparing the report is under way.
Not a ‘census’
The Minister said that there is no provision for the State government to conduct a “caste census” in the Constitution. He said that the Social and Educational Survey is being conducted as per the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission Act, 1995, to understand the socio-educational condition and problems of the people in Karnataka. “The survey would help in redrawing the Backward Classes list either to remove communities that do not qualify to be in the list or add any communities to the list”.
Published – December 13, 2025 08:23 pm IST
