Caste Enumeration to Be Part of Next Census: Govt

In a major decision, the government on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a "transparent" manner and slammed the opposition parties for using caste surveys as a "political tool".

- Press Trust of India

NEW DELHI:

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue, and some states like Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka have conducted such surveys.

Announcing the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre, but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveys "non-transparently," which has created doubts in society.

Noting that caste was not included in all census operations conducted since Independence, Vaishnaw alleged that the Congress governments have always opposed caste census and the party had used the issue as a political tool.