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The massive effort made by the Telangana government for conducting the Intensive Household Survey on Tuesday seemed to have yielded the desired results, going by the number of households covered by the surveyors on a single day.
“It is a super-hit survey. It is a miraculous success,” a beaming chief minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, said, adding nearly 95 per cent of the households in districts and 88 per cent of the households in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas were enumerated by 6 pm.
Rao was hopeful that almost 100 per cent of the 8.7 million households in the state would be enumerated as the survey was still going on. “The Complete details of the survey will be available on Wednesday morning. Those who have missed will be covered tomorrow,” he said.
According to Rao, the survey is "first of its kind in the world"and will provide "multi-dimensional benefits". It will help his government in formulating policies, providing amenities and undertaking welfare and development activities. The survey reports will be available with all government officials right from the gram panchayat level to the state secretariat.
"Proper statistics are very useful for any government", he said while addressing a press conference before leaving for Singapore to attend an IMM alumni meeting.
For instance, the chief minister said that the survey had revealed that the population of Hyderabad had crossed 12 million as against the present assumption of 7.6 million. So also the population of the entire state of Telangana. As against the current estimates of about 35 million, the Telangana population had reached nearly 45 million.
Stating that people voluntarily came forward to take part in the survey, the chief minister said that there were no apprehensions about the survey. "If there were apprehensions, why people came forward to participate in it. It is all rubbish"", he pointed out.
However, it remains to be seen whether the survey succeeded in securing all the information it had sought in the light of the government's submission to the state high court that it was a voluntary one and people could choose not to answer the questions of surveyors.
The survey envisaged to obtain details of 18 aspects including LPG connection, income tax, bank account, property tax, Aadhar card, vehicles registration numbers, agricultural land holding, PAN card and mobile phone.
Enquiries by Business Standard revealed that many people in Hyderabad, who would not be eligible for benefits under government welfare schemes on account of their higher income levels, did not disclose all the details sought by the surveyors.
Several residents living in various middle and upper middle-class localities in the state capital said that they did not disclose the details of either their bank account number, PAN card or Aadhar card.
The entire government machinery had been engaged to conduct the first of its kind survey in the country, which was aimed at enumerating all the existing 8.7 million households in the state on a single day. As many as 3,70,000 personnel, including policemen, students, bank officials and teachers, have been pressed into service to achieve this task. The chief minister conveyed his thanks to all of them
The state government declared a holiday on account of the and all the business establishments, educational institutions and cinema theatres (only for morning show) remained closed today. The state public transport buses stayed off the roads and only a handful of auto rickshaw drivers hit the roads. Consequently, most of the population stayed at home.
Telangana survey kicks off
