Caste Census To Be Part Of Upcoming National Census: Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Announces Cabinet Decision

In a landmark decision, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the forthcoming national population census, India Today reported. The announcement was made on Wednesday (30 April) by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

"Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided to include caste enumeration in forthcoming census exercise," Ashwini Vaishnaw was quoted as saying by India Today.

Ashwini Vaishnaw further said, as quoted by Business Standard, "It is well understood that Congress and its INDI alliance partners have used the caste census only as a political tool. Some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes. While some states have done this well, some others conducted such surveys only from a political angle in a non-transparent way."

"Such surveys have sown doubts in society. To prevent politics from disrupting our social fabric, caste enumeration should be transparently conducted through the census, not separate surveys," Vaishnaw said.

The decision means that, for the first time in decades, detailed caste data will be officially collected as part of the decennial census exercise.

The move comes amid growing demands from various political parties and social groups to conduct a comprehensive caste census. Updated caste data is essential for effective policy-making, targeted welfare schemes, and ensuring social justice.

The last major exercise to collect caste data at a national level was the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) conducted in 2011. However, the data from that exercise was never fully released or integrated into policy frameworks.