Cabinet decides to include caste enumeration in forthcoming census
This story was originally published at 17:14 IST on 30 April 2025
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--Minister Vaishnaw: Cabinet OKs including caste enumeration in next census
NEW DELHI – The government on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. However, the minister didn't announce the date of conducting the next census exercise, pending since 2021.
The decision was taken at the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day. Briefing reporters about the Cabinet decisions, Vaishnaw also accused the previous Congress governments of "always opposing the caste census." "In 2010, the then prime minister late Manmohan Singh said that the matter of caste census should be considered in the Cabinet. A group of ministers was formed to consider this subject. Most of the political parties had recommended a caste census. Despite this, the Congress government decided to conduct only a survey of caste instead of a caste census," Vaishnaw said.
He further alleged that the Congress and its Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance partners have used the caste census only as a political tool.
According to the Constitution, census is a Union subject, Vaishnaw said, adding that some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes. "While some states have done this well, some others conducted such surveys purely from a political angle in a non-transparent way. Such surveys created doubts in the society," he said. "Considering all these facts and to ensure that 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 the country." End
Reported by Kuldeep Singh
Edited by Tanima Banerjee
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