Centre’s caste enumeration won’t make state’s exercise irrelevant or redundant, says official

The Centre's announcement to include caste enumeration in the next population survey to begin in 2026 will not override state government's socio-educational survey (commonly referred to as caste survey - a misnomer), slated to commence in the coming months, said a top government functionary.

- Naheed Ataulla

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its constituents have hailed the Union cabinet's decision to undertake caste enumeration as a “historic decision and reflection of its commitment to social equality”, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra claimed it will put an end to chief minister Siddaramaiah’s attempt to divide the society in the name of ‘the caste census’.

According to Vijayendra, the caste survey to be undertaken by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes will be redundant and not serve any purpose once the national caste census is done.

However, Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes chairman Madhusudan R Naik, who has been tasked to do the survey, said: “The Centre’s caste enumeration results will in no way override the exercise that will be undertaken by his team which is proposed to be scheduled either during the Dasara or winter vacations of this year.”

“Merely because the central government is proposing a caste survey doesn’t take away the validity or the sanctity of a list of Backwards which will be prepared after survey work by the state government,” he told HT.