Karnataka Socio-Economic Survey Faces Hurdles As Technical Glitches Hit Rural Areas

Bengaluru: The socio-economic survey, being conducted by the Karnataka Backward Commission is facing rough weather with technical glitches in the rural areas and people refusing to reply to all the questions in the questionnaire.

Let alone the common people -- even Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Union Railways Minister V Somanna refused to complete replying to all the questions and expressed their displeasure over the questions being framed.

On Sunday, a team of senior officers had accompanied the enumerators to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's house. Looking at the lengthy questionnaire, Shivakumar quipped: `too much'.

He told the officers that the people would not have patience to reply to such lengthy questionnaires. ``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 in the house,'' he said.

Later, a big team of nine officials went to Union Railways Minister V Somanna. He looked at the questionnaire and was visibly miffed with certain questions. He wanted to know what the Backward Commission did with all those details. For a few questions, Somanna asked the enumerators to get the details from the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, the survey itself is facing rough weather. The Bengaluru Survey has begun only on Friday and the enumerators are already protesting against the areas allotted to them. Though the teachers, who would conduct the survey as enumerators had been asked to give a choice of 10 places, which would be either near their houses or near the schools they worked. However, none of them were allotted to any of the 10 places they sought. Most of the people had to travel 35-40 kms to start the survey.

In rural areas, technical glitch due to non availability of online data has been a big headache. The people are not responding if the enumerators try to take down details on papers, so that they can upload it when they get the mobile signal.

The government had asked the Backward Class Commission to complete the survey in 10 days. The deadline would come to an end by Oct 7, Tuesday. So far, less than 65% surveys in the rural area and 30% in Bengaluru have been completed. The government is now contemplating extending the last date for the survey.