Telangana nativity survey: State government says will not insist on details
Oral instructions are being given to enumerators not to insist on personal details
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-08-15 01:44 GMT
Hyderabad: With the Telangana Intensive Household Survey questionnaire format becoming controversial, the government has initiated damage-control exercise to allay fears. The questionnaire format seeking personal details such as bank account/post office account numbers, PAN number, IT returns, details of movable and immovable assets is being strongly opposed by people who are not beneficiaries of any government scheme.
While the questionnaire for the Intensive Household Survey has already been printed and supplied to enumerators, oral instructions are being given to enumerators not to insist on personal details of people like bank account/post office account numbers, PAN number, IT returns, details of movable and immovable assets who are not beneficiaries of any government schemes. Focus should instead be on those households which are claiming pensions, Aarogyasri, fee reimbursement benefits and so on.
Rigorous training camps are being conducted for nearly 3.75 lakh enumerators across the state for the last one week. The enumerators have been asked to record the details in the form through “application of mind” and not just note down whatever is provided by the members in the households.
Enumerators were earlier told to enter the kitchens to find out whether it had a single stove or double stove to assess whether it’s an individual family or a joint family since it’s common in many joint families to have separate stoves.
They were also told to enter every room including bedrooms to check the household items/electronic items etc., and record the same. They were even asked to know the details of diseases suffered by members in a household.
However, owing to severe criticism from various quarters and pubic ire against disclosing such personal details, the government has now issued revised oral instructions to enumerators to seek only simple details such as name, address, ration card, Aadhaar card and whether they are the beneficiaries of any government scheme.
They have been told to enter the houses and rooms within only if the family members allow. They have been asked to be cordial with people and seek their permission depending on the situation.
They have also been asked not to force people to divulge personal details and not to ask controversial questions like “When did you come here?” “Which state are you from?” “How many years you have been here?” etc.