Modi govt announces pan-India caste census: What is it and how have successive govts viewed it?

Vaishnaw said Congress and its INDIA bloc partners have used caste census time and again as a political tool and added the previous UPA governments failed to conduct a caste census but held surveys.

What is caste census and how is it conducted?

Caste census means enumerating the population based on their caste affiliations during the national census.

In India, censuses are conducted primarily by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The last caste census was conducted in 1931. According to the available data, the total number of castes as per the 1931 caste census was 4,147.

The Ministry of Rural Development Government of India commenced the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, in June 2011 through a comprehensive door to door enumeration across the country. The 2011 caste census collected data on all castes, and not just on the OBCs. However, the data was never made public.

The caste census is typically conducted by asking individuals or households to self-identify their caste or caste affiliation.

India's long-postponed decadal census exercise and the National Population Register (NPR) update are likely to begin in 2025, with data expected by 2026. The last census that was due in 2021 could not be conducted on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, the subject Census is listed at 69 in the Union list in Seventh Schedule. Census is a Union subject.

How is caste census different from caste survey?

A survey is a method of collecting data from only a portion of the total population. It selects a sample to represent the entire population. On the other hand, in a census, information is collected from every single member of the population. Since a census includes everyone, the collected data is more precise and detailed.

Which states have conducted a caste count?

The Bihar caste survey was the first in independent India to successfully enumerate all castes and sub-castes. The survey, conducted in 2023, found that OBCs comprise 63.13% of the state, SCs formed 19.65% and STs 1.68%. “Upper" castes were found to be 15.52% of the population.

On January 19, the Andhra Pradesh government kickstarted an exercise aimed at creating a comprehensive database of people based on their castes.

In November 2024, 3.54 crore people in Telangana were surveyed to determine their Social, Economical, Education, Employment, Political and Caste statuses. The survey also had “no caste” and “no religion” categories. Released this year, the survey revealed that Backward Classes (BCs) make up 56.33% of the state's population. The survey also suggested that Scheduled Castes (SCs) account for 17.43%, Scheduled Tribes (STs) constitute 10.45%, and other castes make up 15.79%

On April 11 this year, a nearly 10-year-old Socio-Economic and Educational Survey (popularly called the caste census) prepared by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, was accepted by the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet.

Controversy over Karnataka caste census

The survey, which cost Rs 165 crore, ran into controversy in 2016 with a purported leak of its findings. The leaked data suggested that the populations of large caste groups, such as Lingayat and Vokkaliga, were smaller than what had been previously extrapolated.

Lingayats and Veerashaiva (a sub-sect) together have a population of about 77 lakh while Vokkaligas have a population of about 62 lakh. Since these two dominant communities have also been categorised as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) along with Muslims, the total number of OBC population now stands at 70 per cent of Karnataka’s total population.

The SCs are about 1.10 crore and the STs are about 43 lakh, according to leaked data. The general category, including Brahmins, is 30 lakh. The Muslim population, which is about 76 lakh, is higher than the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. These new revelations have ruffled the feathers of Lingayat leaders, who fear it will threaten their political dominance. The Vokkaligas have voiced same concerns.

What has been Modi govt’s stand?

The debate on caste census came up before almost every Census, as questions were raised in Parliament. In 2021, the Maharashtra Assembly passed a resolution urging the Centre to hold a caste-based census.

In March 2021, Union Nityanand Rai had told Rajya Sabha “The Union of India after Independence, decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste wise population other than SCs and STs.”

In 2023, the Supreme Court refused to entertain petitions challenging the Bihar government’s decision to conduct a caste-based census in the state. In 2024, the top court declined to entertain a public interest litigation seeking directions to the Centre to conduct a caste-based census.

In 2023, PM Modi said poor people should have the first rights over the country’s resources as they formed the biggest chunk of the population. Referring to an old speech by his predecessor Manmohan Singh, he asked whether the Congress emphasis on numbers meant that the party wanted the majority Hindu population to usurp the rights of minority communities.

The BJP has maintained that it is never opposed to the idea of caste census but it does not do “politics of votes” on the issue. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said such “decisions have to be taken after careful thought” and at an “appropriate time”.