Kerala State Commission for Economically Backward Classes among Forward Communities invites NSS to carry out its socio-economic survey

M. R. Hariharan Nair, the chairman of the panel, put forward the proposal to NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair who had openly dissociated himself with the sample survey exercise

November 29, 2021 05:39 pm | Updated 05:39 pm IST - KOCHI

The Kerala State Commission for Economically Backward Classes among Forward Communities has invited the Nair Service Society (NSS) to collect data on the socio-economic conditions of the community using the Commission’s questionnaire.

M. R. Hariharan Nair, the chairman of the panel, put forward the proposal to NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair who had openly dissociated himself with the sample survey exercise.

If the organisation, wrote the panel chairman, has apprehensions about the quality of the sample survey, it could depute its volunteers from the Karayogam units to carry out the survey using the questionnaire. The data thus generated shall be considered for preparing the Commission’s recommendations. Many forward community organisations have embarked on the exercise, he wrote.

Denial of rights

Incidentally, the NSS general secretary had petitioned the Chief Minister to stop the survey as he felt that the methodology to be employed for the job could lead to the denial of due rights to the economically weaker sections among forward communities. Mr. Sukumaran Nair had also pointed out that a report submitted by former commission chairman A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai had recommended the socio, economic, and community surveys of each community and their population recorded.

While concurring with the demand of the NSS for an exhaustive survey, Mr. Hariharan Nair pointed out that the State Government had not yielded to a similar suggestion from Mr. Pillai.

It could be the huge financial commitment involved in the comprehensive survey that might have deterred the Government from taking up the suggestion. The Government might have also considered the fact that the survey expenses could be brought down significantly if done as part of the regular census, commission sources indicated.

Ameliorative measures

The Commission decided to conduct the sample survey in its eagerness to provide maximum benefits to the economically backward class as an interim measure. It hopes to suggest ameliorative measures during its term, which will end on March 13 next, using the data generated through the process, sources said.

The sample survey would cover at least 97,445 houses at the rate of five families from each of the 19,489 civic wards in the State. The training for the master trainers has been completed. The trained survey staff will fan out across the State from December 5 for data collection, sources pointed out.

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