The Case for Caste Census in India

Why in News?

• Recently, the Bihar government released the results of its survey of castes in the state which put the share of Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) cumulatively at more than 63%.
• The survey has triggered a national debate and therefore it is important to have an assessment of socio-economic data and arguments in favour and against of the nation-wide caste-based survey.

What Do the Socio-Economic Data Indicate?

• Evident Caste-Based Deprivation in Indian Society
  • The average monthly per capita consumption expenditures (MPCE) of Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC) and OBC households in rural areas were, respectively 65%, 73% and 84% of the MPCE of the general category in 2011-12.
  • In urban areas the average MPCE of ST, SC and OBC households were 68%, 63% and 70% of the general category.
• Inequality Across Caste Categories in Multidimensional Poverty Estimates
  • The persistence of inequality across caste categories in India can also be seen in the multidimensional poverty estimates based on the NFHS-4/2015-16.
  • As per research, while STs, SCs and OBCs taken together comprised around 73% of the Indian population, they accounted for 84% of the country’s poor.
    • Over 50% of India’s multidimensionally poor belonged to the OBC category.
  • As per Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) estimate, while STs, SCs and OBCs taken together comprised around 77.6% of the country’s poor in 2005-06, this share increased to almost 84% in 2015-16.
• The Sachar Committee report (2006) had estimated that 31% of Muslims were ‘Below Poverty Line’.
• This clearly indicate that discrimination and exclusion based on caste via-a-vis STs, SCs and OBCs as well as religion(particularly Muslims), have a causal relationship with poverty and deprivation.

Situation Regarding Education and Employment Across Caste-Categories

• Caste-Based Deprivation in Education
  • The general category has a much higher proportion of literates, secondary and high school pass outs, graduates, and post-graduates than OBCs, SCs and STs.
  • As per NSS 75th round (2017-18), while only 3% of STs, 4% of SCs and 6% of OBCs are graduates, the proportion of graduates in the general category is over 12%.
  • The proportion of post-graduates within the general category is over 3%, among OBCs around 1% and among SCs and STs, below 1%.
• Employment Status
  • In terms of employment status (PLFS 2021-22), over 30% of the workforce in the general category had a regular job, while the proportion of regular or salaried workers among OBCs and SCs was around 20% and among STs just over 12%.
  • In contrast, almost 29% of STs, 38% of SCs and 20% of OBCs were casual labourers, against only 11.2% of the general category.
  • This indicates that the informal sector is largely populated with STs, SCs and OBCs while the general category has a disproportionately large share of formal employment.
• The Central government is one of the largest employers in the formal sector, employing over 18.78 lakh persons as on January 2021.
  • As per union government data, 52.7% belonged to the general category.
  • The proportion of employees in the general category is much greater at over 64% in the most qualified and highest paid groups, i.e., Group A employees.
  • This indicates that the persistence of caste-inequality in educational outcomes is reproducing a similar pattern of caste-inequality in skilled, formal employment, even 3 decades after the official implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations. 

A Background of Caste-Based Surveys

• Pre-Independence Era: Caste wise enumeration of the population was introduced under the British colonial administration in 1881 and continued till the 1931 census.
• Post Independence Surveys
  • Independent India’s governments abandoned full caste enumeration on the apprehension that it would strengthen caste divisions and perpetuate the caste system.
  • The caste system has persisted and flourished in independent India — even without the caste census along with its discriminatory and exclusionary consequences as revealed by official surveys and statistics.
• Mandal Commission Report
  • The report of the Backward Classes Commission headed by B.P. Mandal submitted to the President of India in 1980.
  • The report had the dictum inscribed at the outset,” There is equality only among equals. To equate unequals is to perpetuate inequality.”
  • The Mandal Commission report had concluded from the caste/community-wise population figures of the 1931 census.
  • It estimated the combined population of Hindu and non-Hindu OBCs to be 52% of India’s population.
  • The commission had also arrived upon a crucial conclusion, that caste is also a class of citizens.
  • And if the caste as a whole is socially and educationally backward, reservation can be made in favour of such a caste on the ground that it is a socially and educationally backward class of citizens within the meaning of Article 15(4).
    • Article 15(4) of the Constitution enables the State to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens.

Reservation in Public Services and Indra Sawhney Judgment

• The V.P. Singh government implemented 27% OBC reservation for public services in 1990.
• The Supreme Court upheld the government’s decision in the Indra Sawhney & others versus Union of India judgment in 1992.
• The court made a significant observation that Identification of a group by any criteria other than caste, such as, occupation cum social cum educational cum economic criteria ending in caste may not be invalid.
• This cleared the way for OBC reservation in public employment and educational institutions in India.

Arguments in Opposition of the Nation-Wide Caste Based Survey

• Opposition to a nationwide caste census has been based on the ground that the revelation of the exact population shares of OBCs greater than or equal to 52%, would trigger demands for enhancing the 27% reservation quota for OBCs.
• Such demands were already set into motion with the Constitutional (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, which provided 10% reservation to EWS within the general category in admission to public and private educational institutions as well as civil posts and services.
  • The law breached the 50% ceiling on reservation and faced legal challenges, but was ultimately upheld by a majority judgment of the Supreme Court in 2022.

Way Forward

• Full Caste Enumeration
  • Given the wide divergence of the OBC population thrown up by various official sample surveys ranging from 41% to 46%, between 2015-16 to 2021-22, only a full caste enumeration can help in ascertaining an accurate number.
  • More importantly, ascertaining the numbers and proportions of individual castes within the OBC category is required for reservations and other benefits.
  • The Bihar caste survey for instance, shows that 122 small caste groups combined in the EBC category, accounted for 36% of the state’s population, which was the largest share among social categories.
• Build on Justice Rohini Commission Report Findings
  • Justice Rohini Commission, which was constituted in 2017, to examine the sub-categorisation of OBCs in the Central list, submitted its report in 2023.
  • A nationwide socio-economic caste census is necessary to evolve scientific criteria for such sub-categorisation.
  • This would also be necessary for all States, which have their own State-level OBC lists, given the wide variety in caste composition.

Conclusion

• Caste appears to be an issue in Indian society. From the left to the right, every thinker, ideology, or party says that the caste system is a disease and caste inequalities must be eradicated.
• So, prima facie there is a condition that merits investigation and a nation-wide caste survey will be the first step in that direction.

Source: The Hindu