With authentic figures, we can have proper allocations

Union minister and Apna Dal leader, Anupriya Patel says the union government's decision to conduct caste-based enumeration along with the upcoming census will lay the ground for better policy making by providing "authentic" data on caste groups.

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NEW DELHI:

Patel's party is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party and has been pushing for a caste census.

In an interview to Smriti Kak Ramachandran, she says, she is now hopeful that the census will help the government make correct budgetary allocations for marginalised communities. Edited excerpts.

Your party has always demanded a caste census. What will change on the ground once the enumeration is done?

First of all, the caste census will give us authentic numbers. We have had authentic numbers for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes but not for the OBCs. Their number has always been estimated, so, for the first time since Independence the government will have the accurate numbers.

Second, whatever welfare programs, policies have been drafted in all these years, these are based on outdated data, which we had from the 1931 (caste) census. We need a fresh count and updated information.