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Caste Census
Proposed Caste Census in India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Caste Census (Hindi: जातीय जनगणना) is a proposed census to be conducted in India by the Union Government of India. The proposed census was decided under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the cabinet committee of political affairs (CCPA) on 30 April 2025. It has been decided that a caste enumeration should be included with the forthcoming census. The exact time has not been declared yet. It is unclear that when the next census will be held.
The decision of the cabinet was announced by the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. It has been seen as a step that would help in drafting "equitable and targeted" policies by the present Union Government of India led by the Bhartiya Janta Party in India. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah has described the decision as a "historic decision". He has also described that the historic decision as “committed to social justice”.[1][2] The leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has welcomed the decision. He said "We have shown we can pressure govt" He has demanded a clear timeline for its completion. He has called it "The first step towards deep social reform".[3]
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Description
The caste census is a systematic recording of individuals’ caste identities during the nationwide census in the country.[4] The union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed his view on the proposed census and said that it would "strengthen the social and economic structure of our society while the nation continues to progress”.[2]
The Caste Census will happen for the first time in 100 years by the Union Government of India. It will be the part of the upcoming census in India.[5]
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History
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During the period of the British rule in India, caste census was included in the decadal censuses to categorise the population by caste, religion and occupation. In 1871-72, the first detailed caste census was conducted by the government of British Raj in India.[6] It was practiced between the period 1881 to 1931. The last caste census was conducted in the year 1931 in which 4,147 castes were recorded.[7] The largest population in the whole of British India (including Pakistan and Bangladesh) was of Brahmins. The population of Brahmins was recorded more than 1.5 crores. After Brahmin community, the second place was of Jatav community. The population of Jatavs was a little more than 1.23 crores. On the third place were Rajputs. The population of Rajputs was 81 lakhs. The Rajput caste was followed by the Kunbi caste of Maharashtra. The population of Kunbi caste was 64 lakhs and 34 thousands. The Kunbi caste was followed by Yadav (Ahir) caste. The population of Yadav (Ahir) community was 56 lakhs and 82 thousands. The Yadav (Ahir) caste was followed by Teli community. The population of Teli community was 42 lakhs and 58 thousands. The Teli community was followed by Gwala community. The population of the Gwala community was 40 lakhs.[8] After the independence of India, the caste enumeration was stopped by the newly independent Government of India led by the prime minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1951. The caste enumeration was stopped to avoid reinforcing social divisions in the Indian society. But, there was an exception made for the enumeration of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the decadal censuses. Therefore the enumeration of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes is being conducted in every censuses since 1951. In 1961, the Government of India permitted states for conducting their own surveys to compile OBC lists but national caste census was not conducted.[9][10]
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See also
- Census of India
- Next census of India
- 2011 census of India
- 2011 Socio Economic and Caste Census
- 2022 Bihar caste-based survey
- Related articles
References
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