PLAYING THE DIVISION GAME

THE CASTE CENSUS SHOULD HELP JAGAN'S YSRCP, WHICH HAS BEEN WOOING THE OBCs, A TRADITIONAL BASE OF THE RIVAL TDP, SINCE IT CAME TO POWER IN 2019

- Amarnath K. Menon

Bihar has shown the way. Announced the intention, and acted on it. On November 15, Andhra Pradesh launched a pilot of its caste census, ostensibly to assess the numbers of castes and sub-castes in the state and tailor welfare measures accordingly, but also to drum up support for the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) ahead of the 2024 general election. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy declared that the census will "empower the backward castes and ensure social justice in the state". The actual survey will start on December 9 and the results out by January-end.

The elaborate grama/ward secretariat system that YSRCP has established in AP for grassroots administration should make the conduct of the census a swift affair. The pilot project is under way in five secretariats-Srikakulam, Dr Ambedkar Konaseema, NTR, Nellore and YSR districts. The questions have been drafted and the facilities ready for surveyors to collect facial, iris and other details for the e-KYC registration. "The findings will enhance our data-driven governance and help in targeted delivery of the state's poverty alleviation and other schemes," says minister for Backward Classes (BC) welfare C.S. Venugopal Krishna.