Government school teachers assigned to carry out the Scheduled Castes (SC) census in Mangaluru and surrounding coastal areas have yet to finish their task, resulting in an extended deadline until May 25.
The census work, already delayed due to technical and procedural issues, is now further hampered by persistent rainfall. Teachers involved in the process say they may need another week to wrap up the enumeration, which could potentially clash with the start of the academic year on May 29.
Educators have reported that locating the beneficiaries remains a major challenge, especially with only voter ID names provided—without addresses—making field visits difficult and time-consuming.
A teacher from Sullia said the project was marred by initial delays related to the mobile application and necessary documentation. “We couldn’t reach many families on time. Now, with the rains, the situation has worsened,” they added.
A teacher from Moodbidri noted that the app’s performance has improved considerably. “Earlier, it took up to an hour for one entry. Now, it barely takes 15 minutes,” the teacher shared, also expressing optimism about finishing the census by the extended deadline.
According to Suresh Adiga, district coordinator from the Social Welfare Department, around 85% of the work has been completed, referencing the 2011 census data. He said efforts are ongoing to include households missed previously and mentioned the rollout of an app enabling self-enumeration using ration cards.
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