Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Wednesday India will conduct a caste enumeration as part of the upcoming census. Since 1951, the survey of the country’s population included the count of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), but not all castes. But what is a caste-based census?read moreThe Centre will carry out a caste enumeration as part of the forthcoming regular census in a “transparent” manner. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday (April 30).Caste census has been a hot-button issue in India for decades. The opposition parties, including the Congress, raised the heat on the Central government over caste-based data since Bihar released its caste survey in 2023. Now, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has thrown a googly at the opposition months before Bihar goes to the polls.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADLet’s take a closer look.Census and casteA
census is a survey of the population of an area that includes collecting details of a country’s demographics, including age, sex and occupation. It gives the government, policymakers and academics a better insight into the population, its makeup, and their socio-economic status.India’s census gathers data on several factors such as religion, language, and region of the population.The counting of India’s population was started by the British in 1872.More from Explainers
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Who is Erin Patterson, the ‘mushroom killer’ whose trial has begun in Australia?A caste census will tabulate the castes of all Indians, particularly the Other Backward Classes or OBCs.Between 1881 and 1931, the census listed all castes. The caste enumeration was done in 1941 – during World War II, but the data was not released. MWM Yeats, the then Census Commissioner, said a note: “There would have been no all India caste table… The time is past for this enormous and costly table as part of the central undertaking…”As per the 1931 Census, when caste was last enumerated in then undivided India, there were 4,147 castes besides depressed classes or Dalits, reported The Hindu.Editor’s Picks1What did the Bihar caste survey reveal?2Can the state carry out a census? The Bihar caste survey row, explainedThe first census in independent India was conducted in 1951. However, castes were not enumerated in this census, with the exception of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).From 1951 to 2011, the census published in independent India has published data on SCs and STs, but not other castes.The last population census was held in 2011. According to this, India had a total population of 121 crore and the sex ratio was 940 females per 1,000 males.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADA pedestrian walks past a population clock board displayed outside the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) in Mumbai on June 2, 2023. File Photo/AFPWhen Congress counted castes in independent IndiaThe Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) faced pressure to conduct
caste enumeration in 2010. The then Law Minister Veerappa Moily wrote a letter to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging for gathering caste/community data in the 2011 Census.The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) was conducted in 2011 by the Ministry of Rural Development in rural areas and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation in urban areas.K Ashok Vardhan Shetty, former IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, wrote for The Hindu last year that the SECC-2011 was “poorly designed and executed, throwing up a ludicrous figure of 46 lakh castes and the results were never released.”The SECC data, excluding caste data, was published by the two ministries in 2016.Debate over caste censusCaste census has been a divisive and politically charged topic in India. Not just the BJP but even Congress governments were hesitant about carrying out the caste count.The critics of the caste census claim it is socially polarising and would further caste identities. Some also argue it will lead to increased demand for reservations.However, those in favour of the caste census say it is a necessity that will help the government reshape its affirmative action for the marginalised communities. Shetty argued in his piece for The Hindu that caste-based census would help “curb arbitrary demands from caste groups and capricious decision-making by governments”.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIn 2021, the BJP-led Centre had rejected conducting the caste enumeration.Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in response to a question in Lok Sabha at the time: “The Government of India has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in Census.”The BJP’s ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), backed caste census for welfare but not politics. Despite growing calls from the opposition and even its allies, the saffron party remained ambiguous about its stance on caste census. Until now.With inputs from agenciesTagsIndiaEnd of Article
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