Caste census to be part of next population survey: Centre's big move

New Delhi

The cabinet committee of political affairs (CCPA) on Wednesday decided that a caste-based enumeration will be part of the upcoming decadal census, a decision hailed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a step that would help in drafting "equitable and targeted" policies.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the cabinet committee of political affairs (CCPA) has decided today that caste enumeration should be included with the forthcoming census… it demonstrates that the government is committed to the values and interest of the society,” union minister Ashwini Vishnaw said after the meeting on Wednesday.

The announcement, which comes ahead of the Bihar assembly polls, was on top of the Opposition’s agenda that has been pushing for a caste census in an effort to counter its appeal and break the rainbow coalition of Hindus, across classes, that forms the bulk of the BJP’s support base.

The BJP hopes the cabinet decision will neutralise this pitch, particularly in Bihar where a landmark caste survey conducted by the state’s Janata Dal United, when it was part of the opposition’s Mahagathabandhan, showed backward communities make up nearly two-thirds of the state.