CASTE CENSUS

1. Context

Choosing Gandhi Jayanti to make the announcement, the Nitish government revealed the results of its caste survey, putting the combined OBC strength in the state at 63% – a 10% leap over their share estimated by the 1931 census, the last time caste enumeration was done in the country – and adding fresh vigour to the Opposition’s demand for a caste census.

2. Caste Census

The socio-economic and caste census (SECC) was conducted in 2011 for the first time since 1931.
SECC is meant to canvass every Indian Family, both in rural and urban India, and ask about their economic status to allow central and state authorities to come up with a range of indicators of deprivation, permutations, and combinations that could be used by each authority to define a poor or deprived person.
It is also meant to ask every person their specific caste name to allow the government to re-evaluate which caste groups were economically worse off and which were better off.
SECC has the potential to allow for a mapping of inequalities at a broader level.

3. Takeaways from Bihar Survey

According to data released by Development Commissioner Vivek Singh, Bihar’s total population now stands at a little over 13.07 crore, up from 10-odd crore in the 2011 Census. The EBCs make up 36.01% of this, and OBCs an additional 27.13%. The survey also found that Yadavs, the main vote base of the RJD, are the largest group, accounting for 14.27% of the total population.
The Dalits, or Scheduled Castes, account for 19.65%, higher than expected, while STs comprise 1.68%.

4. History of Caste Census

The caste census is the demand to include the caste-wise tabulation of India's population in the upcoming exercise.

4.1 Caste census in Colonial Era:

The First Census conducted in 1871 included questions about caste. This data was then used to divide and conquer India.
It first privileged Brahmins are interpreters of Indian culture and then targeted them as the root of caste-based oppression and inequality.
This classification was also a source of anti-Brahmin movements of the 20th century.
Every census until 1931 had data on caste.
The practice was stopped by the British with the 1941 Census, citing financial constraints. The Indian government did not pick up the dropped parameter.

4.2 Caste data published in the Census post-independence:

Since the first exercise in independent India in 1951, India has published separate data on Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The Census does not include data on other castes.
The Government of India had decided on the policy of official discouragement of Caste.
It was decided that in general, no race/caste/tribe inquiries should be made and such enquires should be restricted to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes notified by the President of India in pursuance of Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution.

5. Importance of Caste Census

5.1 Promote Rational Decision Making

A caste census, which will generate exhaustive data will allow policymakers to develop better policies, and implementation strategies, and will also enable a more rational debate on sensitive issues.

5.2 Promotes Democratic Policymaking

Advocates of its inclusion believe that the activity will be a pro-poor exercise that will help plan better and more targeted welfare schemes in the country.
A caste census would bring forward a large number of issues that any democratic country needs to pay attention to.
For instance, this census will reveal information regarding caste-based marginalization, deprivation, the kind of jobs pursued by a caste, etc.
So, the caste census is nothing but the collection of data that is necessary for any democratic policymaking.

5.3 The rationale for the Reservation Policy

Some proponents also suggest that a Caste Census will also help reservation policymakers have a more accurate idea of the affirmative action needed.
While this data is currently available for SC and ST populations, the OBC population is estimated widely as per the number noted by the Mandal Commission at 52%.
The Justice Rohini Committee was appointed in 2017 to look into the sub-categorization of the OBC communities; however, in the absence of data, there can be no data bank or any proper sub-categorization.
All commissions have had to rely on data from the last caste census (1931). There have been substantive demographic changes since then and therefore, the data has to be updated.

5.4 Constitutional Mandate

Indian Constitution also favors conducting a caste census.
Article 340 mandates for appointment of a commission to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes and make recommendations as to the steps that should be taken by the governments.

6. Last Cast Census and redundancy

A separate Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) was conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development in rural areas and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation in urban areas in 2011.
It was the largest exercise of the listing of castes and has the potential of finding inequalities at a broader level.
SECC was a tool to identify beneficiaries of state support and it is open for use by Government departments to grant and/ or restrict benefits to households.
However, the SECC data excluded caste data and was published by the two ministries in 2016.
The raw caste data was handed over to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The ministry formed an Expert Group under the Former NITI Aayog Vice-Chairperson Arvind Pangaria for the classification and categorization of data.
The Pubic data eventually released gave numbers of different castes in India but not the population-wise data as was the demand.
Only the details of the economic conditions of the people in rural and urban households were released. The caste data has not been released till now.
The Centre says that an analysis of the data showed "that the caste enumeration...was fraught with mistakes and inaccuracies" and "is not reliable".

7. Way Forward

A Caste census without data integrity would be much worse. Instead of going behind the caste bases census, the government can subclassify the Backward classes like in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, etc. This will provide the benefit to intended beneficiaries.
Since the government has already appointed Justice G Rohini's panel on the sub-categorization of OBCs. The panel has to fast-pace the sub-classification process.
The Government can use technologies like Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to assess the SECC data and condense them into meaningful categories and some important caste-based information. This will provide the necessary time to analyze the need for a caste census.

For Prelims: Socio-economic and caste census (SECC), Mandal Commission, Justice G Rohini's Commission, NITI Aayog, Article 341 and Article 342.

For Mains: 1. General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Source: The Hindu

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