Modi government decides to include caste enumeration in next census, slams Congress for opposing census and favouring non-transparent caste surveys
The Union Government on Wednesday announced that caste census will be conducted along with the next general census. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs took the decision today after a meeting in Delhi.
Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashiwini Vaishnaw said that while some states have conducted caste surveys, they have done so for political motives and in non-transparent matter. Therefore, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided today that Caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census, he said.
While Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party have been demanding caste census in recent times, Ashiwini Vaishnaw said that Congress governments always opposed it. He said that caste was not included in all the censuses conducted after the independence.
In 2010, then PM Manmohan Singh had assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census should be considered in the cabinet, and a group of ministers had formed for it. Ashiwini Vaishnaw added that while most political parties recommended caste census, the Congress governments decided to conduct only a caste survey, known as SECC, instead of a full census.
“It is well understood that Congress and its INDI alliance partners have used Caste Census only as a political tool”, minister Vaishnaw said. He stated that as per article 246 of the Constitution of India, the subject Census is listed at 69 in the Union list in Seventh Schedule. Therefore, according to Constitution of India, Census is a union subject.
He added that Some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes. Some states have done this well, while some others have conducted such surveys purely from a political angle in a non-transparent way. “Such surveys have created doubts in society,” the minister said.
Ashiwini Vaishnaw announced, “Considering all these facts, and to ensure that our social fabric is not disturbed by politics, caste enumeration should be transparently included in the Census instead of surveys. This will strengthen the social and economic structure of our society while the nation continues to progress. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, has decided today (30th April, 2025) that caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming Census.”
He further added, “This demonstrates that our government is committed to the values and interests of our society and country, like in the past when our government had introduced 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections of the society without causing stress in any section of the society.”
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