History -
As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, legislative subjects are divided between the Union and the States via the Seventh Schedule, which contains three lists:
- List I (Union List)
- List II (State List)
- List III (Concurrent List)
In List I (Union List), Entry 69 specifically mentions:
"Census."
This means the power to legislate on matters related to the Census rests exclusively with the Parliament of India (the Union government). States do not have the authority to legislate on or independently conduct a census.
This is why the decennial census of India — like the one last conducted in 2011 — is carried out by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
In 1931, the final caste census was carried out. Based on the information at hand, there were 4,147 castes in total as of the 1931 caste census.
On Wednesday, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticized the opposition for exploiting caste surveys for political ends and declared that caste data would be included in the upcoming census.
During the Cabinet briefing, Union Minister Ashiwini Vaishnaw stated, "The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided today that Caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census."
Caste censuses conducted in a number of states, according to Vaishnaw, are "unscientific." Data from the caste census has already been released by a number of states, including Bihar, which is administered by the NDA.
The Congress has long advocated for a caste census to be conducted nationwide. Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader, had previously challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the 2011 caste-based census results publicly available while calling for the lifting of the 50% reservation cap. The Congress claims that the only way to guarantee equal opportunity for all citizens of the nation is to conduct a caste census.
Vaishnaw noted that the previous UPA governments did not carry out a caste census but instead conducted surveys, and that Congress and its INDIA bloc partners had often utilized caste censuses as a political tool.
How is a caste census carried out, and what is it?
Caste census refers to the national census's practice of counting people according to their caste affiliations.
The Ministry of Home Affairs' Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, is principally responsible for conducting censuses in India.
In 1931, the final caste census was carried out. Based on the information at hand, there were 4,147 castes in total as of the 1931 caste census.
In June 2011, the Indian government's Ministry of Rural Development began the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 by conducting a thorough door-to-door count throughout the nation. Data on all castes, not only OBCs, were gathered for the 2011 caste census. But the information was never released.
Usually, people or families are asked to self-identify their caste or caste affiliation in order to conduct the caste census.
The National Population Register (NPR) update and India's long-delayed decadal census are anticipated to start in 2025, with results anticipated by 2026. The Covid-19 epidemic prevented the completion of the most recent census, which was scheduled for 2021.
The subject census is mentioned at number 69 in the Union list in the Seventh Schedule in accordance with Article 246 of the Indian Constitution. The census is a Union topic.
What distinguishes a caste survey from a caste census?
One way to get information from a subset of the population is through a survey. To represent the total population, it chooses a sample. In contrast, data is gathered from each and every person in the population during a census. A census gathers more accurate and comprehensive data since it includes everyone.
In which states has a caste count been carried out?
In independent India, the Bihar caste survey was the first to successfully count every caste and sub-caste. According to the 2023 poll, OBCs make up 63.13% of the state, SCs 19.65%, and STs 1.68%. It was discovered that 15.52% of people belonged to the "upper" caste.
The Andhra Pradesh government began an effort on January 19 to compile a complete database of individuals according to their castes.
3.54 crore Telangana residents were polled in November 2024 to ascertain their caste, social, economic, educational, and employment statuses. Additionally, there were "no caste" and "no religion" categories in the study. According to a poll released this year, 56.33% of the state's population is classified as belonging to the Backward Classes (BCs). According to the report, other castes make up 15.79%, Scheduled Tribes (STs) 10.45%, and Scheduled Castes (SCs) 17.43%.
On April 11 of this year, the Cabinet led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah approved the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes' nearly ten-year-old Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, also known as the caste census.
Karnataka caste census controversy
Costing Rs 165 crore, the study encountered controversy in 2016 after its results were allegedly leaked. Large caste groupings like the Lingayat and Vokkaliga appeared to have lesser populations than previously estimated, according to the leaked statistics.
There are over 77 lakh Lingayats and Veerashaivas (a sub-sect) combined, whereas there are roughly 62 lakh Vokkaligas. Together with Muslims, these two major communities have also been classified as Other Backward Classes (OBCs), meaning that OBCs now make about 70% of Karnataka's entire population.
According to leaked data, there are roughly 1.10 crore SCs and 43 lakh STs. 30 lakh belongs to the general category, which includes Brahmins. The Lingayats and Vokkaligas are outnumbered by the approximately 76 lakh Muslims. Lingayat authorities are upset about these recent findings because they believe they could undermine their political hegemony. The same worries have been expressed by the Vokkaligas.
What stance has the Modi government taken?
Almost every census was preceded by a controversy about the caste census, as questions were raised in Parliament. A resolution calling on the Center to conduct a caste-based census was voted by the Maharashtra Assembly in 2021.
"The Union of India after Independence, decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste wise population other than SCs and STs," Union Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha in March 2021.
The Supreme Court rejected appeals in 2023 that contested the Bihar government's choice to do a caste-based census in the state. A public interest lawsuit asking the top court to order the Center to undertake a caste-based census was dismissed in 2024.
Since they made up the largest portion of the population, PM Modi stated in 2023 that the poor should have the primary claim to the nation's resources. He questioned whether the Congress' focus on numbers meant that the majority Hindu population wished to steal the rights of minority communities, citing an earlier remark by his predecessor Manmohan Singh.
The BJP has insisted that while it does not engage in "politics of votes" on the subject, it has never rejected the idea of a caste census. Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that such "decisions have to be taken after careful thought" and at a "appropriate time" before to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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