State govt extends Dasara holidays till Oct 18 for govt, aided schools to complete caste survey

BENGALURU: The state government has decided to extend the Dasara holidays until October 18 to facilitate the completion of the caste census survey. The extended holidays from October 13 to 18 will apply to government and aided schools.

A meeting was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Vidhana Soudha regarding the extension of the socio-economic and educational survey date. Following the meeting, the government decided to extend the holidays for all government and aided schools in the state in view of the survey.

With the decision, children on Dasara vacation will get an additional 10 days of vacation. The government has planned to complete the caste census survey during this period. The extended vacation, however, will not apply to private schools and PUC II lecturers who are involved in mid-term examinations have been exempted from the survey.

ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಸಮೀಕ್ಷೆ; ಹತ್ತು ದಿನಗಳವರೆಗೆ ಅವಧಿ ವಿಸ್ತರಣೆ

ಇಂದು ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗೆ ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಆಯೋಗ ಕೈಗೊಂಡಿರುವ ಮಹತ್ವದ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಸಮೀಕ್ಷೆಯ ಕುರಿತು ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ಜೊತೆ ವಿಸ್ತೃತವಾಗಿ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಿ, ನಂತರ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮದವರೊಂದಿಗೆ… pic.twitter.com/YevvpREG0R

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) October 7, 2025

The survey aims to collect data on social, educational and economic parameters of the population across the state, including details related to caste, education, occupation and household conditions. The survey was delayed during the Dasara festival and the daily targets could not be reached. The Teachers’ Association has also requested the sanctioning of at least 10 additional days.

It was targeted to cover 11 lakh to 14 lakh houses every day, but the census slowed down during Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami. Around 1.15 crore houses have been surveyed and another 30 lakh house surveys are pending. The government has taken steps to compensate for the extended vacation days through special classes.

ಇಂದು ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗೆ ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಇಲಾಖೆಯು ಕೈಗೊಂಡಿರುವ ಮಹತ್ವದ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಸಮೀಕ್ಷೆಯ ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಕುರಿತು ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ಜೊತೆ ವಿಸ್ತೃತವಾಗಿ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.

ಈ ಸಮೀಕ್ಷೆಯು ಭವಿಷ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳುವ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಮತ್ತು ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳ ಸೂಕ್ತ… pic.twitter.com/F9g8ydiUL6

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) October 7, 2025

After the meeting, CM Siddaramaiah said, “We had planned to complete the survey work by October 7, but it has not happened as expected across the state. Some districts have done more while others have done less. The Education Department issued an order on Monday. Around 1,20,000 teachers and 40,000 others have participated in the survey. We discussed what needs to be done to complete the remaining work, and it’s been decided that we need a few more days”.

“In Bengaluru, only 36 pc of the survey has been completed so far. We have 6,000 teachers participating in Bengaluru, and we need to cover 46 lakh houses. We have been told that the survey will be completed by October 19, before Deepavali. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each of the three surveyors in case of any untoward incidents. Teachers and other surveyors will receive an honorarium of Rs 20,000, and for each household they cover, they will get Rs 100. We have already given Rs 5,000 as a lump sum, so it will be a total of Rs 20,000. The survey will be completed within the next 12 days. Action will be taken against those who don’t participate in the survey. The government will conduct special classes to compensate for the lost days”, the CM said.