Nityanand Rai said that the government has not done caste-wise population census since independence.
New Delhi:
The central government has reiterated its stand that there is no plan to enumerate caste-wise figures other than those for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Census 2021.
The Ministry of Home Affairs told the Rajya Sabha that this decision has been taken under the policy.
Minister of State Nityanand Rai said in a written reply, “The Government of India has not enumerated the caste-wise population other than Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the census since independence.”
The ministry also informed that they are aware that a resolution to conduct a caste-based census has been passed by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
“The National Sample Survey (NSS) is not specifically designed to estimate (d) the population of a country as well as any social group. Information on household social group in (a) household-based survey of the NSS is collected only for classification purposes,” the MHA further said, adding that the population census is not an ideal tool for enumeration of caste-wise/OBC (BC) population.
The minister also informed the elders’ home that the census program has been prepared in consultation with various stakeholders including central ministries.
Interestingly, the Supreme Court on Wednesday also dismissed a petition filed by the Maharashtra government, seeking a direction to the central government to disclose the raw data related to the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) Went. [State of Maharashtra v. Union of India], The court said that it is a law that there should be no caste census and the Constitution believes in population and not caste or religion.
The state had said that it wants to use the data to implement reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in its local body elections.
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