On Wednesday, the Centre declared that caste data will be incorporated into the upcoming census, criticizing the opposition for politicizing caste surveys.
The decision was finalized during a Central Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced, “The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided that caste enumeration will be included in the forthcoming census.”
He criticized state-led caste surveys, including those in NDA-ruled Bihar, as “unscientific.”
Bihar’s caste survey, the first in independent India to enumerate all castes, revealed that OBCs constitute 63.13% of the population, SCs 19.65%, STs 1.68%, and “upper” castes 15.52%. Andhra Pradesh began a similar caste-based data collection exercise on January 19. Karnataka’s Socio-economic and Educational Survey, presented on April 11, identified 1,351 castes and sub-castes among its 5.98 crore population, with Lingayats and Vokkaligas comprising 21.3%.
The survey detailed 91 Lingayat sub-castes, 49 Vokkaliga sub-castes, 100 Muslim sub-castes, 58 Christian sub-castes, and 59 Brahmin sub-castes.