Centre Approves Caste Census

May 1, 2025

The Government of India has recently approved the enumeration of castes in the upcoming Census. This decision by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) marks shift in policy. The demand for a caste census has been a long-standing issue in Indian politics, with various parties advocating for it over decades. Recently, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana have conducted state-level caste surveys. Karnataka hasn’t released the results yet.

Historical Context of Caste Enumeration

Caste data has been collected in India since 1951, but only for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The last comprehensive caste data was gathered in 1931.
The 1941 Census collected caste data but did not publish it due to World War II.
Since then, successive governments have avoided caste enumeration, despite persistent demands from political parties representing Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Why a Caste Census?

Needed for scientific, contemporary data to inform reservation policy and welfare measures.
Existing census data (1951–2011) includes only SC/ST data, not OBCs or other castes.
Enables identification of disadvantaged groups and promotes targeted affirmative action.
Requires only additional columns for SEBC, OBC, and other castes.

Impact of Census Data

Census data will influence government policy, reservation, and political boundaries (delimitation).
Delimitation of constituencies is frozen until after the first Census conducted post-2026.
Women’s reservation in legislatures, announced recently, also depends on updated Census and delimitation.

Quota Implications

Could lead to a review of the 50% cap on reservations (as per SC ruling).
Mandal Commission (1980) estimated OBCs at 52% of the population.
NSSO (2007) estimated OBC population at 41%.
Current reservation in Central government jobs:
- OBCs – 27%
- SC/ST – 22.5%

Previous Attempts and Challenges

In 2010, the then Law Minister M Veerappa Moily requested caste data collection for Census 2011. However, logistical challenges led to the rejection of this proposal. A Group of Ministers was formed to address the issue, resulting in the decision to conduct a separate Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC), which ultimately excluded caste data from its published results.

Justice Rohini Commission

Formed in 2017 under Article 340 of the Constitution to study sub-categorization of OBCs in the Central List to ensure fair distribution of the 27% OBC reservation.
Report submitted, but the government has not acted on it yet.
The commission suggested dividing 2,633 OBC castes into 4 categories to divide the 27% OBC quota more fairly:
- Category 1: 1,674 castes → 2% reservation
- Category 2: 534 castes → 6% reservation
- Category 3: 328 castes → 9% reservation
- Category 4: 97 castes → 10% reservation
Findings from Government Job & Education Data (2018):
- 25% of OBC castes took 97% of jobs and admissions under OBC quota.
- Just 10 OBC communities got almost 25% of all benefits.
- 983 OBC castes (37%) had zero representation in jobs and education.
- 994 castes had only 2.68% representation.
- Some OBC quota seats were filled by General category candidates as no “suitable” OBC candidates were found.

Challenges Faced by the Commission
- No data on population size of each OBC caste.
- No proper caste-based surveys to compare representation.
- Census lacks OBC caste-wise data — even Census 2021 didn’t make progress despite earlier announcements.
- In 2018, the Commission requested a nationwide OBC caste survey budget.

Current Status of Census

The 2021 Census was delayed due to COVID-19.
The upcoming census is expected to be conducted in 2026.
It will be conducted in two phases:
- House Listing and Housing Census
- Population Enumeration

Challenges Ahead

The Census, which was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to resume soon. However, there are no confirmed dates for its commencement.
The pressure on the government to conduct a caste census continues to grow, with various stakeholders advocating for accurate representation of all caste groups.

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