Mysuru, April 17 -- Director of the State Vokkaliga Association K.V. Sridhar has called for a fresh, scientific approach to population surveys by linking caste census data with Aadhaar cards and geo-tags.

Speaking at a high-level meeting of Vokkaliga leaders yesterday, he denounced the caste census as deeply flawed and lacking credibility.

"This report shows the State's total population as only 5 crore, while official estimates place it at 7.7 crore. How can such a massive gap be explained?" he asked. "There are no records or evidence to show that officials even visited many households. The methodology is unscientific."

He stressed that using Aadhaar-linked geo-tagged surveys would deliver accurate data acceptable to all castes and add...