Caste Census: In a major development, the PM Modi government has announced a big historic move, by adding caste enumeration to the next national census exercise. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, the move would be carried out transparently while he took a jibe at the Congress Party. The decision to include caste consensus was approved in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the same development, Congress Party chief Rahul Gandhi said, the caste census is a new dimension of development.
Caste Census Approved:
During a media briefing, Vaishnaw said that the Cabinet has approved caste enumeration in forthcoming census exercise. He added this decision will ensure that the Indian society is economically and socially empowered, as India progresses.
Meanwhile, BJP Party through their X handler said, "Modi Government approves Caste Census - a historic move for targeted development and true social justice."
However, Vaishnaw further took a jibe at Congress Party, by saying, "Castes were not counted in all the censuses conducted after independence - this is another big example of the double standards and hypocrisy of the Congress party. Congress only did superficial politics on the work which was postponed for decades."
The union minister revealed that in 2010, the then PM Dr Manmohan Singh had assured the Lok Sabha that the caste census would be considered. After this, a cabinet group was formed and many parties also supported it - but the result was only a limited survey (SECC), not an actual census.
Furthermore, Vaishnaw said, "The Congress and INDI alliance parties used the caste census as a mere political weapon. The focus was more on vote bank politics than transparency and policy making."
Rahul Gandhi On Caste Census:
Gandhi congratulated the development. He said, "I told you, Modiji will have to get the 'caste census' done, we will get it done!"
"This is our vision and we will ensure that the government conducts a transparent and effective caste census. Everyone should know clearly who has what participation in the institutions and power structure of the country," Gandhi further said.
The caste census is a new dimension of development. I congratulated the lakhs of people and all the organisations who were constantly fighting the Modi government demanding this - and he added - "I am proud of you."
What Is Caste Census?
This practice is not new to India and dates back to the 1880s when colonialists would exercise research and survey different origins of castes to undermine the population of India and bring about policy changes.
However, the castes and tribes which are specifically notified as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, are enumerated in the Census. The Government of India has not enumerated caste-wise populations other than SCs and STs in the Census since independence so far, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs report in Lok Sabha in July 2022.
What Is SECC-2011?
The main website explains that SECC-2011 is a study of the socio-economic status of rural and urban households and allows the ranking of households based on predefined parameters. SECC 2011 has three census components which were conducted by three separate authorities but under the overall coordination of the Department of Rural Development in the Government of India. A census in Rural Areas has been conducted by the Department of Rural Development (DoRD). Census in Urban areas is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA). Caste Census is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs: Registrar General of India (RGI) and Census Commissioner of India.
The Socio-Economic Caste Census-2011 which was commenced on June 29, 2011, through a comprehensive door to door enumeration across the country, would generate information on a large number of social and economic indicators relating to households across the country.
SECC-2011 was not done under the 1948 Census of India Act and the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India was not entrusted to do the same. The SECC 2011 was conducted in all states and union territories of India and the first findings were revealed on 3 July 2015 by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. SECC 2011 was the first caste-based census since the 1931 Census of India, and also the first paperless census in India conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government in 640 districts, as per Wikipedia.
The difference?
Census provides a general portrait of the Indian population, while SECC is used to identify beneficiaries of state support. Also, Census data is confidential under the Census Act of 1948, while personal information in SECC is open for use by government departments to grant or restrict benefits to households, as per Drishti IAS report dated in October 2023.
How Can Caste Census Help?
According to Drishti IAS report, caste census could enable the identification of disadvantaged groups and highlight their issues, giving them an opportunity to be at the forefront of policy changes.
Furthermore, the caste census could help in the clarity of different caste groups, allowing to formulation of targeted policies that could address social inequality and uplift the community.
Hence, a caste census would give better room for addressing issues, criticism, policy making and swift-action to bring social equality.
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