Senior IAS Officer Munish Moudgil Questions Bengaluru Caste Survey After Self-Entry Marked as “Refusal”
A procedural controversy has surfaced in Bengaluru’s ongoing caste survey after senior IAS officer Munish Moudgil, a 1998-batch Karnataka cadre officer, discovered that his self-enumeration entry had been wrongly categorized as a “refusal.” The error has triggered debate over the reliability and coordination of the massive data-gathering exercise across the city.
Officer’s Entry Marked Incorrectly
According to sources, field enumerators reportedly visited Moudgil’s residence in Vasanthnagar multiple times but found it locked. When attempts to reach him telephonically also failed, they marked his record as a “refusal to participate” in the official survey application, as per standard protocol.
Moudgil Clarifies: “I Had Already Submitted My Details Online”
Responding to the incident, Moudgil clarified that he had already completed the process via the government’s self-enumeration portal. “My workday starts at 8 a.m. and ends close to 10 p.m. I was unaware of the enumerators’ visits,” he said. “This appears to be a misunderstanding — perhaps even a deliberate attempt by some to manufacture controversy where none exists.”
He emphasized that such procedural lapses can undermine citizens’ trust in government-led surveys. Moudgil, who also oversees revenue systems, e-khata management, and electoral database preparation, noted the importance of administrative precision in maintaining credibility.
Broader Issues in Urban Data Collection
The incident has reignited discussion about the challenges of conducting door-to-door surveys in dense urban zones like Bengaluru. Many residents — particularly working professionals — have voiced frustration that enumerators operate mostly during office hours, making participation difficult. Following public feedback, authorities have extended the survey window from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to accommodate late-working citizens.
Despite these efforts, Bengaluru continues to lag behind other districts in survey completion rates, leading officials to reassess the current field and verification mechanisms.
Experts Call for Improved Data Integration
Policy experts argue that cases like Moudgil’s highlight a larger systemic flaw — the lack of synchronization between online submissions and offline enumeration. They suggest implementing stronger backend checks to validate self-submitted data before marking non-responses.
One of Karnataka’s Largest Socio-Economic Exercises
The ongoing caste survey, regarded as one of the most comprehensive socio-economic mapping projects undertaken by the Karnataka government, aims to document caste, income, and demographic details across households. The findings are expected to play a crucial role in shaping future welfare policies and equitable distribution of resources across the state.
