Caste census ineffective, says Mysuru former mayor BL Bhyrappa

Mysuru: Former mayor BL Bhyrappa on Wednesday criticised both ongoing and proposed caste census initiatives by state and Union govts, calling them ineffective and a potential waste of public funds. He emphasised that linking caste census data with Aadhaar is the only way to ensure accuracy and credibility.

Speaking to reporters, Bhyrappa said, "The recently proposed caste census by the state govt has already drawn criticism from some leaders who question the reliability of the data. In my own case, no officials came to my house to collect caste data. Often, during door-to-door surveys, residents may not be at home, and enumerators resort to gathering information from neighbours, leading to inaccurate records."

He argued that integrating Aadhaar data would not only ensure precise demographic mapping, but also significantly reduce the financial burden on the govt. "Linking the census with Aadhaar will provide reliable figures and save crores of rupees in public spending," he stated.

Bhyrappa also recalled a similar exercise conducted in 2011 during the tenure of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which he claimed was never properly implemented. "Without linking to Aadhaar, the results of caste-based censuses will continue to lack authenticity and fail to meet their objectives," he claimed.