Hyderabad: As the family and caste survey entered its third day on Sunday, enumerators encountered several new issues, including reluctance to share their mobile phone number and income details, during their field visit. There appears to be a significant difference in responses between rural and urban areas. Reports from the field suggest that while people in the hinterland are quick to respond, it is becoming a challenge to reach them at home due to their farming activities.
On the other hand, in some urban pockets, mostly in Hyderabad, citizens have reportedly expressed concerns not only about the income details being collected but also about sharing their phone numbers due to spurt in cyber frauds.
Officials suspected many in urban areas would not part with their Aadhaar details. However, according to sources, on the contrary, citizens expressed concern following recent alerts from the cyber security wings regarding fraudsters disseminating counterfeit links aimed at compromising people’s bank accounts under the pretext of the caste survey. This situation has led many to question the safety of sharing phone number linked to their accounts in banks. “In such circumstances, it is advisable to offer an alternative number,” a top source said.
Most people appeared to be aware of the survey. However, in rural areas, family heads were often absent when enumerators visited due to agricultural activities. “Although we provided prior notice, some were not at home, necessitating a return visit to collect the details,” remarked a govt teacher, who served as an enumerator in Rangareddy district.
On the other hand, several villages in the Mulugu district declined to participate in the survey as a form of protest against the lack of proper roads since independence. Officials have been instructed to engage with the villagers and persuade them to take part in the survey.
In a separate incident, residents of Gundampalli and Dilawarpur villages in Nirmal boycotted the survey in opposition to the establishment of an ethanol plant. The Backward Classes Commission has requested the district collector to communicate with the villagers and encourage their participation in the survey by elucidating the advantages of providing the data and its intended use for developing schemes.
