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Caste census will be done for the first time after independence in the country. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the caste census. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that it will be done with the original census. Bihar Assembly elections are to be held in the country later this year.
All the opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding caste census. In such a situation, speculations are being made that caste census can be started in September.
However, the census process will take a year to complete. In such a situation, the final figures of the census will be found in the end of 2026 or in the beginning of 2027. The last census in the country took place in 2011. It is done every 10 years.
Accordingly, the next census was to take place in 2021, but it was postponed due to the Kovid-19 epidemic.
After the announcement of caste census, Rahul Gandhi said- After all, the government has spoken about caste census. We support it, but the government has to tell its deadline.
We got the cast senses in Telangana, it can be made a model. We have to go beyond cast census. Which caste has to know how much stake is in high positions.
29 columns in census form, only SC-ST detail
By 2011, there were a total of 29 columns in the census form. These were recorded only with questions like name, address, business, education, employment and migration. Now extra columns can be added to caste census.
Act has to be amended for counting of castes
The Census Act 1948 provides for the calculation of SC-ST. It has to be amended for calculating OBC. This will reveal the figures of 2,650 castes of OBC. According to the 2011 census, there are 1,270 SC, 748 ST castes. In 2011, the SC population was 16.6% and ST 8.6%.
Socio-economic calculation was done in 2011, data not released
The socio-economic and caste census was conducted in 2011 during the Manmohan Singh government. It was done by the Ministry of Rural Development, Urban Development Ministry and Ministry of Home Affairs. However, the data of this survey was never made public. The data of its SC-ST Household has been released on the website of the Ministry of Rural Development.
Shah had said- census can take place in 2025
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in August 2024 that the census would be on “appropriate time”, and it could begin in 2025, with the data published by 2026.
Rahul has been demanding caste census
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi first demanded caste census in 2023. After this, he has been demanding caste census from the Center on many meetings and forums in the country and abroad. See in the graphic below, when Rahul reiterated the demand for caste census …
Vaishnav said- Congress always opposed caste census
Union Minister Vaishnav said, ‘Caste census was not done since 1947. Congress governments always opposed caste census. In 2010, the late Dr. Manmohan Singh had said that the matter of caste census should be considered in the cabinet. A group of ministers were formed to consider this subject. Most political parties recommended caste census. Despite this, the Congress government did not decide to conduct a caste survey or caste census.
Who said on the decision:
- Mallikarjun Kharge- Today, the Modi government has announced to conduct caste census. This is the right step that we were demanding from day one. I picked it up several times in Parliament and also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister. The leaders of India alliance have also demanded caste census several times and became an important issue in the Lok Sabha elections. Repeatedly, Prime Minister Modi kept avoiding implementing this policy of social justice and making false accusations of dividing the society on the opposition. In the absence of caste census, the implementation of meaningful social justice and empowerment programs is incomplete, hence it is necessary for all classes.
- Chirag Paswan- An important decision has been taken in the interest of the country. This decision has been taken for inclusive development.
- Keshav Maurya- The Congress has a slap on his mouth. The Congress only says the Modi government. The Congress party was only pretending.
- Tejashwi Yadav- This decision is our victory. The government had to accept our point.
- Congress leader Udit Raj- This is the victory of the Congress. After all, the Modi government has to conduct caste census.
- Union Minister Nityanand Rai: The decision of caste census shows that the government is committed to the development of the country and society.
Parties stand on caste census
- Opposition parties: BJD, SP, RJD, BSP, NCP Sharad Pawar, including Congress, are demanding caste census in the country. TMC’s stance is not clear yet. Rahul Gandhi recently visited America, where he had justified the caste census.
- NDA: Earlier the BJP was not in favor of caste census. The NDA had accused other opposition parties including the Congress of trying to divide the country through caste census. However, the BJP supported the caste census in Bihar. Bihar released the caste census (survey) data in October 2023. The first state in the country to do this was made.
When and when the demand for caste census is
- Many regional parties based on castes emerged in the 80s. These parties launched a campaign to provide reservation in government educational institutions and jobs. Meanwhile, on the basis of the number of castes, reservation was first demanded by BSP leader Kanshi Ram in UP.
- The Government of India formed the Mandal Commission on the issue of giving reservation to social and educationally backward castes in 1979. The Mandal Commission recommended reservation to the people of OBC. This recommendation was implemented by the then Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh in 1990. After this, general category students across the country staged fierce protests.
- In 2010, OBC leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav pressured the Manmohan government to conduct caste census. Along with this, Congress leaders of backward caste also wanted this.
- In 2011, the Manmohan government decided to conduct the Socio Economic Caste Census i.e. SECC.
- For this, a budget of Rs 4 thousand 389 crore was passed. This census was completed in 2013, but the data of castes has not been made public till date.
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Politics has started in Bihar on the Center’s decision to conduct caste census. CM Nitish has called PM Modi a thank you and Lalu Yadav has taunted the government. RJD supremo Lalu Yadav said, “The basic initiative of the caste census was taken by the Janata Dal government in 1996-97, when he was a national president and the United Front government was in power in the country.” Read full news