By The Sampadak Express
In a landmark decision, the Union Government has announced that caste-based data will be collected as part of the upcoming national population census. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed this during a Cabinet briefing on Wednesday, stating that the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the next census exercise.“
The decision marks a transparent and inclusive approach to the census,” Vaishnaw said, while also criticizing opposition parties, particularly the Congress, for historically opposing such initiatives. He noted that no caste data had been collected in national censuses since Independence and accused the Congress of using the issue for political gain.
Highlighting past resistance, Vaishnaw said that in 2010, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had deferred the matter to a group of ministers, despite broad political consensus in favor of caste enumeration. “The Congress eventually opted for a survey, not a full census,” he pointed out.
The announcement comes ahead of a key Assembly election in Bihar, where over 63% of the population belongs to Backward or Extremely Backward Classes. The state had conducted its own caste survey in 2023 under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, releasing data that later fueled calls from opposition parties for a nationwide caste census.
Vaishnaw dismissed such state-level surveys as politically motivated and legally insufficient, stating that only the Union Government has the authority to conduct a caste census.
Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the move, calling it a “historic decision” that reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to social equality. “This will empower backward communities, enhance inclusion, and open new paths of development,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
The decision is expected to have major political and social implications, especially as the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies have made caste census a central part of their political agenda. The Congress has already conducted similar exercises in Karnataka and Telangana after assuming power in those states.
