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Bihar’s Caste-Based Count

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Polity & Governance
  • Published
    4th Jun, 2022

Context

Recently, the Bihar Cabinet approved a proposal to carry out a caste-based ‘count’ in the State. 

Need for the caste census

  • A step towards equality: A caste census would help us point out those caste that are not represented in the institutions of this country so that steps towards equality can be established.
    • It would also justify the extension of reservations to various communities.
    • The aim is that every section of society can progress properly.
  • The Last Caste data with the government: The last caste census was in 1931 and the government still uses this as a basis to estimate demography and different caste groups. 
    • There have been significant changes in the demography of this country.
  • Data unavailability: The Rohini Commission too, faced difficulties due to the unavailability of data on various communities classified under OBCs.
    • The Commission was set up to examine the issue of sub-categorisation of OBCs.
  • Effective service delivery: A fresh estimate of the population is necessary to ensure more effective delivery of targeted welfare.
  • State actions on caste data collection: Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana had carried out similar counts in the name of “socio-economic surveys”.
  • Popular demand: Along with Bihar, other states like Jharkhand and Odisha are also reiterating their support for the caste census. 

Criticisms

  • A colonial practice: Every Census until 1931 had data on caste. So it was a colonial practice of divide and rule which drove them toward collecting such data.
    • Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. 
  • May increase caste divisions: The 21st century India should be discussing 'let’s do away with caste' rather than further divide India on those lines. 
    • Caste census may “rekindle divisive feelings among people.
  • Demand for reservations: Reservations that were implemented for 10 years have continued for 75 years and a caste-based census may lead to a demand for more.
  • No constitutional Mandate: Unlike in the case of the SCs and the STs, there is no constitutional mandate for the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India, to provide the census figures of the OBCs and the BCCs.
  • Difficulties in such counts: Union government contended that such an exercise was not feasible given that there are too many castes and sub-castes in each state and Union territory making it difficult to classify them.
  • Political agenda: At a deeper level there are politics involved in the matter.
    • Bihar’s politics has been dominated by the Other Backward Castes (OBCs), the numerically powerful social group.
  • Socio-economic caste census (SECC): The Union government cited that the socio-economic caste census (SECC) conducted by the government in 2011 contained too many discrepancies and the data was withheld.

History of Caste Census

  • A population census was first carried out by the British colonial state in 1872.
  • The 65-page census enumerated the populations of various castes, including Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Rajputs across several provinces.
  • Caste populations were specifically counted based on their traditional occupations at the time.
    • For instance, “Hindoos” in the Madras province were counted in 17 sets, which included “priests, warriors, traders, agriculturists, shepherds and pastoral castes” among others.
  • The last time comprehensive data on caste was collected was in the 1931 Census.

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