The Karnataka government will conduct a fresh survey of the Scheduled Castes population in the State within the next two months to collect empirical data based on which the long-pending demand for internal reservation by the Dalit left communities could be decided.

The decision came at the Cabinet meeting based on the recommendation of the H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission, which submitted its interim report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday.

The survey is to overcome the confusion in nomenclature of Adi Karnataka, Adi Dravida, Adi Andhra, besides SC people who have refused to declare sub-castes during the enumeration. The first three names were coined prior to Independence during the rule of the Maharajas of Mysore to overcome the caste-attached stigma.

The nomenclature of Adi Karnataka and Adi Dravida are used by both Dalit right and left communities, resulting in the confusion in about about 13 districts in the State. For example while Dalit left communities in Davangere, Vijayanagar, Ballari, Chitradruga, Tumakauru, and Chickballapur use Adi Karnataka, the Dalit right communities in Chamarajanagar, Kolar Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan also use Adi Karnataka. Adi Karnataka is mostly used by Dalit left and Adi Dravida by Dalit right.

Four recommendations

“The Nagmohan Das commission has made four recommendations that includes a fresh survey, use of modern technologies to complete the survey with 30 to 40 days, preparation of questionnaire, and collection of data of SC and sub-castes for the purpose of classification,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil told presspersons during his post-Cabinet briefing. He said that the Cabinet has accepted the recommendation, and added that it has decided to extend the tenure of the commission so as to allow it to oversee the survey and provide recommendations.

Asked if the survey work could be completed within 60 days, Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa said that the work has already started, and that the Chief Secretary had convened a meeting of officials to draw up modalities on Thursday. “The survey will be conducted by the government machinery, including the services of teachers. Preparatory work could take up about 15 days,” he said, adding that the two-month deadline for the commission would be from Thursday.

When questioned if another survey was to dodge the issue since commission took two months to recommend a survey, Dr. Mahadevappa said that similar issues in Haryana and other States have landed in courts. According to him, the SC population that was about 1.04 crore in 2011 is projected to be between 1.25 crore and 1.30 crore now.

About 101 cases are part of the SC community in the State that get 17% reservation in public employment, and education, and internal reservation is to slice up the reservation between Dalit left and right communities, Korma, Koracha, and Lambani communities. Though the issue has been present for over three decades, it received momentum after the Supreme Court in August 2024 cleared internal reservation based on empirical data.