The Dharwad district administration has achieved 82% of the target allotted to it under the Karnataka Social and Educational Survey taken up by the Permanent Backward Classes Commission and the data indicates that it has achieved the target in rural areas but faced challenges in urban areas.
According to the available data, the enumerators failed to get information from about 1.5 million households and 3.8 of them are the average family size, an estimated 4.5 million people were not included in the survey in the district out of the estimated 22.5 million people in the district.
Speaking to The Hindu, Dharwad Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu GRJ clarified that while 1.5 lakh households were not yet covered in the survey and the reasons for non-coverage were more. “It’s not just reluctance or refusal to participate in the survey. There are other reasons as well. The enumerators failed to cover some houses that were locked, and then there is the problem of people migrating to the city for work but having their houses covered by the survey in their native places,” she said.
Urban population
She said another challenge the district faced was considering the highest urban population in the district. “Without the state capital, Dharwad district has the highest urban population in the state. In most districts, the urban population is around 10%. Even Mysuru district has an urban population of 25%, but in Dharwad district, the urban population is 55% of the total population of the district,” she said.
She said that due to the high urban population, the enumerators faced several changes due to which the percentage was lower compared to rural areas where they met the percentage target.
She declined to comment on reports that the district had seen a higher number of survey opt-outs, saying that since the state had not yet released authentic data on them, it would be imprecise to comment on them.
However, she said that the district administration is conducting extensive awareness about the cleaning round and using the online portal to participate in the survey. Teachers were also asked to identify school children left out of the survey, she said.
Published – 25 Oct 2025 20:24 IST
