India Census to Include Caste Data

India Census to Include Caste Data

This move is particularly notable as it comes months before a critical Assembly election in Bihar, where over 63 per cent of the population is from Extremely Backward or Backward classes.

RMN News Report

New Delhi: Questions on caste, including an enumeration of the various castes and sub-castes and the number of people in each across the country, will be part of India’s next national census, expected next year. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced this significant decision during a cabinet briefing on Wednesday (April 30) afternoon.

The decision was made by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA). Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed it as a “historic decision” by the Narendra Modi government. He stated that deciding to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census sends a message of strong commitment towards social equality and the rights of every section. Mr Shah also claimed this decision will empower economically and socially backward classes, promote inclusion, and pave new paths for the progress of the deprived.

Mr Vaishnaw stated the census will be held in a ‘transparent’ manner. He also criticised the Congress and other opposition parties, alleging they have targeted the ruling BJP over demands for a ‘caste census’ while campaigning. He claimed the Congress had always opposed a caste census, noting it hadn’t been included in censuses since Independence by Congress governments. Mr Vaishnaw asserted that the Congress and its partners have only used ‘caste census’ as a political tool.

He also dismissed caste counts conducted by state governments, accusing some of being purely political and creating societal doubts. Legally, a caste census can only be conducted by the union government.

The announcement comes after significant demands from opposition parties, including the Congress and the INDIA bloc, for a nationwide caste survey. This push intensified after the Bihar government conducted and released data from a state-level caste survey in October 2023.

Bihar became the first state to release such data. The Bihar survey data led to calls for a nationwide survey and the state government ordering special quotas. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has led the charge for a national caste census, promising it where his party comes to power, a promise reportedly fulfilled in Karnataka and Telangana.

Despite prior cabinet decisions not including caste enumeration, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stated a month after the Bihar survey in October 2023 that the BJP had never actually opposed such an exercise.

This move is particularly notable as it comes months before a critical Assembly election in Bihar, where over 63 per cent of the population is from Extremely Backward or Backward classes.