{"id":46443,"date":"2025-05-01T11:45:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T06:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=46443"},"modified":"2025-05-17T22:16:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T16:46:53","slug":"cabinet-approves-caste-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/cabinet-approves-caste-census\/","title":{"rendered":"Cabinet Approves Caste Census: Key Highlights, History &#038; Policy Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Caste Census Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Census in India<\/li>\n<li>History and Status of Caste Census<\/li>\n<li>Key Highlights on Caste Census Decision<\/li>\n<li>What Happens Now<\/li>\n<li>Caste Census FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Caste Census Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved the inclusion of caste data in the upcoming population census. The <strong>2021 Census<\/strong> was postponed due to COVID-19 and remains indefinitely delayed.<\/li>\n<li>This decision reignites the ongoing debate over the role of caste-based enumeration in governance, policymaking, and politics.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Census in India<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Overview of Population Census<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Population Census offers essential statistics on human resources, demographics, culture, and the economic structure at all administrative levels.<\/li>\n<li>The first census in India began in 1872 (non-synchronous), while the first synchronous census was held in 1881 under British rule by W.C. Plowden.<\/li>\n<li>It is conducted every 10 years by the <strong>Office of the Registrar General<\/strong> and <strong>Census Commissioner<\/strong> under the Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal and Constitutional Basis<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Census is a <strong>Union subject<\/strong> under Entry 69, Union List, Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.<\/li>\n<li>It is governed by the Census Act, 1948.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>History and Status of Caste Census<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Caste data was collected during British India censuses from 1881 to 1931.<\/li>\n<li>Post-1951, caste enumeration was discontinued, except for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).<\/li>\n<li>In 1961, the Centre recommended that States conduct their own OBC surveys, since central OBC reservations did not exist then.<\/li>\n<li>Though census is a central subject, the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 enables states and local bodies to collect data \u2014 as done by Karnataka (2015) and Bihar (2023).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The last attempt at caste data collection at a national level took place in 2011 through the SECC, intended to assess the socio-economic condition of households alongside caste information.\n<ul>\n<li>Ministry of Rural Development oversaw the rural survey.<\/li>\n<li>Ministry of Housing &amp; Urban Poverty Alleviation handled urban areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Only the socio-economic data was published in 2016; the caste data was withheld.<\/li>\n<li>The raw caste data was handed over to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which constituted an Expert Group led by Arvind Panagariya for classification.<\/li>\n<li>It is unclear if the group submitted its report\u2014no report was ever made public.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Learnings from the SECC (2011)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The SECC recorded 46 lakh caste names due to its open-ended format, compared to 4,147 castes in 1931.<\/li>\n<li>People wrote sub-caste names or surnames (e.g., Gupta, Agarwal), causing data inflation.<\/li>\n<li>This time, a standardised code directory will be used to avoid such inconsistencies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Highlights on Caste Census Decision<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Digital Mode &amp; Drop-Down Caste Directory<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>For the first time, the Census will be conducted in digital mode, using a mobile app.<\/li>\n<li>A new \u201cOther\u201d column with a drop-down caste code directory will be included beside the SC\/ST column.<\/li>\n<li>Software is currently undergoing testing to ensure smooth implementation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Directory Development &amp; Testing<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Central OBC list (2,650 communities), SC list (1,170), and ST list (890) will be merged with State OBC lists to form a comprehensive codebook.<\/li>\n<li>A pre-test will be conducted to iron out glitches before the actual enumeration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Major Policy Shift After Decades<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The CCPA\u2019s approval to include caste data in the upcoming census marks the first comprehensive caste enumeration since 1931 (excluding SC\/ST data).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Historical Context of Caste Enumeration<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Caste data was excluded from post-Independence censuses (1951\u20132011), except for SC\/ST figures.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The last full caste census was in 1931, with unpublished data from 1941.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reliance on Estimates So Far<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>In the absence of official data, estimates like the Mandal Commission\u2019s 52% OBC figure have guided policy and electoral decisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bureaucratic and Data Classification Hurdles<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Accurate caste data collection is hampered by overlapping caste names, classification ambiguities, and lack of clarity on inter-caste or migrant identities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inconsistent State-Level OBC Lists<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Different states have varying OBC lists and sub-categories like Most Backward Classes, complicating efforts to create a standardized national caste database.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Renewed Debate on Governance and Representation<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The move revives the broader debate on how caste data should inform governance, social justice, and political representation in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Happens Now<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>About 30 lakh government officials will need retraining for the new digital format.<\/li>\n<li>The Census will occur in two phases:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Phase 1<\/strong>: House listing &amp; housing schedule (31 questions; already notified in 2020).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Phase 2:<\/strong> Population enumeration (28 questions; tested in 2019, yet to be officially notified).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Significance for Delimitation &amp; Women\u2019s Reservation<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The new Census findings will be used to:\n<ul>\n<li>Redraw Lok Sabha constituencies (delimitation).<\/li>\n<li>Implement 33% women\u2019s reservation in Parliament and State Assemblies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Caste Census FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is the Caste Census?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> A detailed enumeration of caste data alongside population statistics to improve governance and social justice policy-making.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> Why is the Caste Census important now?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> It informs decisions on reservations, representation, and socio-economic planning based on current caste demographics.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> When was the last full caste census held?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> In 1931, with SECC 2011 being a partial and unpublished effort.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> What is new in this caste census?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> It will be digital with a standardized caste code directory to avoid data duplication.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> How does it impact governance?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> It helps in targeted policymaking, accurate delimitation, and implementing women\u2019s and caste-based reservations.<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/caste-enumeration-to-be-part-of-next-census-union-minister-ashwini-vaishnaw\/article69509835.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/cabinet-approves-caste-census-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-it-9974762\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/cabinet-caste-census-history-9974909\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/government-approves-caste-census-what-is-it-and-why-it-matters-explained\/articleshowprint\/120768650.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ToI<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore the significance of the Caste Census, its historical background, legal basis, and how it will influence policy and representation in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46443","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}