Modern India to conduct a caste census
The government on Thursday gave in to the demands of regional political forces from the Hindi heartland and agreed to conduct a caste census, but separate from the ongoing Census 2011 exercise, between June and September next year. The last caste-wise census was held in 1931, the practice being given up as a matter of policy after Independence.
A decision to this effect was taken at a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Briefing the media, Union home minister P. Chidambram said, “After considering various options the option that we have approved is based on the responses of various political parties, that caste must be canvassed and the integrity of the headcount must not be affected.”
Elaborating on the methodology and time of the exercise, the home minister said the caste enumeration would be conducted in a phased manner after the population enumeration, including biometric capture and a headcount, is completed by March 2011. He, however, avoided answering a question on whether the caste enumeration would be later merged with the headcount.
The decision was taken after considering options suggested by the group of ministers (GoM) set up on the issue and the consultations that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee held with leaders of various parties.
“Every point of view has been accommodated and the time-table drawn up... We hope this will be a satisfactory arrangement,” Mr Chidambram said in an apparent reference to the political parties that have been demanding a caste census.
Parties like the RJD, Samajwadi Party and JD(U) had disrupted proceedings in Parliament for several days during the Budget and Monsoon Sessions while pressing for a caste census. The BJP, initially divided on the issue, later decided to support it.
The subject even divided the Congress and the Union Cabinet with some favouring a caste census and others opposing it, prompting the government to set up a GoM to consider all aspects related to such a move.
Mr Mukherjee had informed the Lok Sabha on the last day of the Monsoon Session that all political parties had supported the idea of including caste in the ongoing census exercise and that there was no need for “apprehensions” on the issue.
Moreover, the home minister said a “suitable legal regime” for collection of data on caste would be worked out soon in consultation with the law ministry. He also said the “caste census” would entail additional costs to the government but it would be assessed and approved at a later meeting of the Union Cabinet.
The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner will conduct the field operations for caste enumeration. The Central government will constitute an expert group to classify the caste/tribe returns after the enumeration has been completed. The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner will hand over the details of the castes/tribes returned in the enumeration to the proposed expert group.
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