The Return Of Caste Census

Political exigencies have changed the narrative on the caste census

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Acknowledging that today's politics has given the idea currency and salience, the Centre has decided that caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census. Though it is still not clear when the census, already delayed by four years, is likely, this is an announcement that will have implications for Indian politics and policies.

Caste is a major socio-political fault line that influences political alignments and voter choices, and forms the core of affirmative action by the State. The outcome of a caste census is likely to force parties to reset their approach to questions of political representation, and may even reshape the legal stance on reservations, capped at 50% after the Indra Sawhney judgment. Accurate data should help the State fine-tune its affirmative action programmes and make them more effective.