Karnataka government and government-aided schools will remain closed from October 8 to October 18. The holiday was announced on Tuesday by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The holiday has been declared to allow teachers to actively participate in the ongoing 'caste survey' and carry out their duties. The survey, initially scheduled to conclude by October 7, has been extended due to uneven progress across districts.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with ministers and officials, Siddaramaiah said, "We were supposed to end the survey on October 7. But in some districts, it is almost complete, while in others, progress was lagging." The extension aims to ensure that all regions complete data collection effectively.
The chief minister added that Koppal district has achieved a 97% completion rate, while Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts have recorded 63% and 60% completion, respectively.
"Statewide, the survey has not been completed as expected," he said. The government expects the survey to reach 100% completion within the next 10 days.
So far, three staff members have died while on duty during the survey. The Karnataka government has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each for the families of the staff who lost their lives during the survey.
Teachers currently engaged in mid-term examinations will be exempted from survey-related duties.
As part of the survey, every household in the state will be geo-tagged using its electricity meter number and assigned a Unique Household ID (UHID). This will help create a comprehensive digital database of all households.
During data collection, ration card and Aadhaar details will be linked with residents' mobile numbers. To assist households where no one is at home during the survey, a helpline has been set up at 8050770004. Officials also stated that citizens can participate online or register complaints through the same system.
