Officials aware of this development said the next step in announcing the caste census will involve the formation of a committee, and the Union Cabinet is expected to make a decision on its constitution and reference clauses (TORs) soon. The committee will be responsible for identifying the various castes and subclasses included in the upcoming decade census.Another way to include caste data faster may involve the use of the Socioeconomic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011-12. Another official explained: “The government is already using SECC data to distribute various scenarios and can deploy artificial intelligence and big data analytics to further subclassify and simplify available resources.”
The SECC has identified thousands of castes and subseeds, but was earlier called “error” when enumerating castes. The investigation was conducted at the time, with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured Lok Sabha that the Cabinet would consider the issue of the caste census. A group of ministers were then formed to study the issue. Most political parties support the idea of caste census.
Under Article 246 of the Constitution, the census belongs to Article 69 of the joint list of the seventh timetable, making it the subject of the union. Officials noted that the Modi government announced in 2018 that the 2021 census will include OBC data for the first time. “The decision on the OBC enumeration will affect 5% of OBCs divided into 1,257 communities by the Mandal Commission in 1980,” an official said. However, the enumeration plan was later withdrawn due to the lack of a formal union cabinet decision.
The SECC has identified thousands of castes and subseeds, but was earlier called “error” when enumerating castes. The investigation was conducted at the time, with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured Lok Sabha that the Cabinet would consider the issue of the caste census. A group of ministers were then formed to study the issue. Most political parties support the idea of caste census.
Under Article 246 of the Constitution, the census belongs to Article 69 of the joint list of the seventh timetable, making it the subject of the union. Officials noted that the Modi government announced in 2018 that the 2021 census will include OBC data for the first time. “The decision on the OBC enumeration will affect 5% of OBCs divided into 1,257 communities by the Mandal Commission in 1980,” an official said. However, the enumeration plan was later withdrawn due to the lack of a formal union cabinet decision.
“This time, the Cabinet made a decision and needed to introduce various castes in the column by introducing each caste and subseeds,” another official said.
Several NDA allies, including JD(U), LJP, APNA DAL and TDP, have been demanding a caste-based census. Recommendations were also received, which included the addition of sects to religion and the addition of separate columns of OBC along with existing SC and ST categories. Another suggestion under discussion is the subclassification of caste grouping while calculating caste populations. The 2021 Intercensus, due to these extended parameters, is expected to be postponed due to the 1924 pandemic and the 2024 election.
