**Bengaluru: Karnataka Backward Commission’s Socio-Economic Survey Faces Challenges**
The socio-economic survey being conducted by the Karnataka Backward Commission is encountering significant hurdles, including technical glitches in rural areas and widespread reluctance among people to answer all the questions in the questionnaire.
Notably, it’s not just common citizens showing resistance—prominent leaders like Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Union Railways Minister V Somanna have also refused to complete the entire questionnaire and expressed their displeasure over the nature of some questions.
On Sunday, a team of senior officers accompanied enumerators to Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar’s residence. Upon seeing the lengthy questionnaire, Shivakumar quipped that it was “too much.” He expressed concerns that people would lack the patience to respond to such detailed forms. “You should keep it simple and short. Besides, I would not like to divulge the details of many things, including the amount of gold in the house or cattle or sheep,” he said.
Later, a group of nine officials visited Union Railways Minister V Somanna, who also appeared visibly upset with certain questions. He questioned the purpose behind collecting such detailed information and even suggested that for some questions, the enumerators should obtain details from the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister instead.
Meanwhile, the survey itself is facing additional operational challenges. The Bengaluru survey began only on Friday, and enumerators have already started protesting their allotted areas. Teachers, who are tasked with conducting the survey as enumerators, had been given the option to choose 10 preferred locations near their homes or workplaces. However, none were assigned to any of their chosen places. Many are now required to travel 35-40 kilometers to begin their surveys.
In rural regions, technical difficulties have emerged due to the unavailability of online data connectivity. People are reluctant to respond when enumerators attempt to record details on paper to upload later once they get a mobile signal.
The government had instructed the Backward Class Commission to complete the survey within 10 days, with the deadline set for Tuesday, October 7. However, so far, less than 65% of surveys in rural areas and only 30% in Bengaluru have been completed. Given these challenges, the government is now considering extending the deadline to ensure thorough data collection.
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*Stay tuned for further updates on the progress of the Karnataka socio-economic survey.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/karnataka-socio-economic-survey-faces-hurdles-as-technical-glitches-hit-rural-areas
