{"id":164078,"date":"2025-05-01T19:17:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&p=164078"},"modified":"2025-05-01T19:17:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:47:33","slug":"caste-census","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/caste-census","title":{"rendered":"Caste Census"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently the Union Cabinet <\/span><b>approved caste enumeration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during the <\/span><b>next Census<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the <\/span><b>first time since Independence.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>What is the Census?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Census is a decennial, nationwide population survey that collects demographic, economic, and social data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has been conducted regularly since 1872, with the first complete Census held that year under British rule.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-Independence, it is conducted by the Registrar General of India under the Census Act of 1948.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After independence, the Indian government has conducted<\/span><b> 15 censuses, with the last one in 2011.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Census scheduled for 2021<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is yet to be conducted.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6981%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #000000;\"><b>Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> SECC, initiated in 2011, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aimed to assess the socio-economic status of households and collect caste details.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was <\/span><b>distinct from the regular Census<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and conducted<\/span><b> to identify deprivation and aid in welfare targeting.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data from the SECC were handed to the <\/span><b>Ministry of Social Justice.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the caste data from<\/span><b> SECC remains unpublished<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to<\/span><b> issues<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like <\/span><b>inconsistent caste name entries (over 46 lakh variations)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>classification challenges.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>What is a Caste Census?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A caste census<\/span><b> involves collecting data on the caste identity <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of citizens during population enumeration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> last caste-wise Census<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was in <\/span><b>1931 under British rule.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>The upcoming Census <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will be digital and split into<\/span><b> two phases,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with <\/span><b>caste data collection expected in the second phase.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Census will use <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a<\/span><b> mobile application with a drop-down caste directory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to avoid data duplication and inconsistencies.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently there are about<\/span><b> 2,650 OBC communities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the <\/span><b>Central list, 1,170 in the SC category, and 890 communities in the ST list<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The State governments maintain their own list of OBC groups.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><b> pre-test<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the new software and data collection mechanism will be conducted <\/span><b>to ensure accuracy and efficiency.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around <\/span><b>30 lakh officials <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">will need to be retrained for the digital caste enumeration process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Demand for Caste Census\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Political Push: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The demand for a caste census has long been voiced by parties with significant OBC support, including the <\/span><b>RJD, SP, DMK, and JDU<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These parties argue that <\/span><b>accurate data are necessary for equitable representation and targeted social welfare policies.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Congress party, after years of ambiguity, <\/span><b>also supported the caste census ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Institutional Advocacy: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>National Commission for Backward Classes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has urged the<\/span><b> inclusion of OBC data in the Census since 2021.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judicial Directive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Several petitions demanding caste enumeration are currently pending before the Supreme Court.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Indra Sawhney judgement of 1992 [Mandal Commission verdict] <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Supreme Court\u00a0 said that Caste census has to be done periodically.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However in 2024 the<\/span><b> Supreme Court refused to direct the Central government<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to conduct Caste Census stating it to be a governance issue.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>State Initiatives:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> States like <\/span><b>Bihar, Karnataka, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><b> Telangana<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have independently conducted caste surveys.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre\u2019s decision to include caste data in the next Census aligns with these trends, reflecting the rising demand for caste-based data in governance and electoral politics.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Pros and Cons of Caste Census<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.7983%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 48.801%;\"><b>Pros of Caste Census<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 52.6963%;\"><b>Cons of Caste Census<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 48.801%;\"><b>Enables Targeted Welfare<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Accurate data helps tailor policies for socio-economically backward groups.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 52.6963%;\"><b>Risk of Social Division<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Emphasizing caste may reinforce identities and deepen divisions.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 48.801%;\"><b>Informs Affirmative Action<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Facilitates rational sub-categorisation of OBCs for fair reservation benefits.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 52.6963%;\"><b>Political Manipulation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Data may be used for vote bank politics rather than real upliftment.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 48.801%;\"><b>Boosts Social Justice Planning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Aids in designing inclusive development and equitable budget allocation.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 52.6963%;\"><b>Administrative Challenges<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Collecting and verifying caste data across millions may be error-prone.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 48.801%;\"><b>Supports Legislative Reforms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Will <\/span><b>guide seat delimitation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and effective <\/span><b>women\u2019s reservation implementation post-2026.<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 52.6963%;\"><b>Constitutional Hurdles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Raises legal issues if used to demand<\/span><b> quotas beyond the 50% cap.<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cabinet\u2019s decision to include caste in the Census marks a historic policy shift, <\/span><b>expected to reshape socio-economic policies, representation,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><b> welfare distribution in India.<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6375%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 111.19%; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Also Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a 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Independence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":164069,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2084],"subject":[4632,2124],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/164078"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/164078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164078"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=164078"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=164078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}