Caste Census Approval: A Historic Move by Prime Minister Modi
The Central Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its nod to conduct a caste-based census along with the upcoming national population census. This decision marks a significant and historic policy shift, welcomed by a wide range of political parties.
For decades, a caste-based census has been a long-standing demand from various social and political quarters. Although it has been a contentious political issue, especially since independence, it remained unaddressed for over 90 years. The last caste census was conducted in 1931 during British rule. The Congress-led opposition had consistently accused the Modi government of being opposed to reservation policies and caste enumeration. However, with this single decision, PM Modi has directly challenged that narrative.
At a recent Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi, the Union Government approved the inclusion of caste data in the next national census. This decision has been warmly received not only by NDA allies like the Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Apna Dal, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and Telugu Desam Party, but also by opposition parties in the INDIA alliance.
Historically, independent India’s population censuses have only categorized Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and the General category since 1951. The Mandal Commission report in 1980, which led to large-scale reservation for OBCs, was based on caste data from the 1931 census. While the 2011 census did attempt to collect caste data, the results were never made public, leaving a data gap that affected policy formulation.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the Congress and the INDIA alliance have long used caste data as a political tool, without taking real steps to ensure data-based justice. He also accused Congress-ruled states of conducting caste surveys only for electoral gains.
It is expected that the caste census will take up to two years to complete, and while no specific timeline has been announced, it will be integrated with the upcoming decennial national census. Experts believe that this is a timely decision aimed at achieving transparency and equity in reservation policies.
This initiative is being hailed as part of PM Modi’s commitment to inclusive development—”Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.” Notably, the central government had earlier introduced a 10% reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) among the general category, without affecting the quotas for SC, ST, and OBCs.
With the Bihar state elections approaching, political analysts suggest that this bold move could significantly shift the electoral balance and weaken the opposition’s narrative. They view it as a step toward strengthening social justice and building a more equitable future for all sections of Indian society.
