Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to speak on caste census report after cabinet discussion on April 17 | Bengaluru
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he would speak on the caste census report only after the special cabinet meeting scheduled for April 17, where the issue will be discussed in detail.
“We have convened a cabinet meeting on April 17 to discuss this lone subject. After the discussion, I will speak on it,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after paying tribute to B R Ambedkar on his 134th birth anniversary, news agency PTI reported.
The Karnataka cabinet gave its nod to the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, commonly referred to as the caste census—on April 11. The State Backward Classes Commission, led by then-chairperson H Kantharaju, was assigned the task during Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as Chief Minister.
The data collection was completed in 2018, and the final report was submitted in February 2024 by current commission chairperson K Jayaprakash Hegde.
(Also Read: Karnataka caste survey suggests quota shake-up)
Caste census report findings
The caste survey conducted in 2015 revealed that Scheduled Castes (SC) make up more than 18% of Karnataka’s population, while Muslims account for nearly 13%. This is in contrast to the dominant Vokkaligas and Lingayats, who together comprise less than 25% of the state’s population.
The survey suggested that the state’s reservation system be restructured, recommending an increase in overall caste-based quotas to 75%. It proposed a hike in reservations for Muslims from 4% to 8%, as well as an increase for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 32% to 51%.
The exercise surveyed 59 million people in the state, slightly fewer than the state’s 2011 census population of 61.09 million. The census had reported SCs at 17.1% and STs at 17% of the population, with Muslims making up 12.9%.
Siddaramaiah, who commissioned the census in 2014 during his previous tenure, reaffirmed his commitment to implement the findings.
However, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state called the survey “unscientific” and accused the state’s Congress government of trying to leverage caste for political gains.
