{"id":34966,"date":"2025-01-07T18:36:34","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T13:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=34966"},"modified":"2025-01-07T18:36:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T13:06:35","slug":"caste-based-census-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-01-2025\/caste-based-census-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Caste-Based Census in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Analysis of the caste based census of Bihar signifies why <strong>a caste-based Census<\/strong> is imperative in India to understand the<strong> socio-economic conditions of disadvantaged groups.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the Census?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Census refers to a <strong>periodic and systematic collection<\/strong> of demographic, economic, and social data of a population within a specific region.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is typically conducted by governments to gather <strong>detailed information about the population&#8217;s characteristics and living conditions.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Census provides <strong>crucial data that governments, businesses, researchers, and policymakers<\/strong> use for various purposes such as planning public services, allocating funding, and making informed decisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Census in India<\/strong><br>&#8211; The Census in India has been conducted <strong>regularly since 1871.<\/strong> The first complete Census was conducted in <strong>1881.<\/strong>\u00a0<br>&#8211; <strong>Constitutional Mandate: <\/strong>The Census of India is conducted under the <strong>provisions of the Census Act of 1948<\/strong>, which empowers the Government of India to conduct periodic population surveys.\u00a0<br>&#8211; <strong>Frequency:<\/strong> The Census of India is conducted decennially, meaning it takes place <strong>every ten years.<\/strong>\u00a0The most recent Censuses were conducted in 2011.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Caste Based Census\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Caste Based Census:<\/strong> It involves enumerating the population based on their caste affiliations during the national census.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This data is used to understand the socio-economic status of different caste groups, identify disparities, and design policies for affirmative action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Background:<\/strong> From the colonial era\u2019s regimental assignments to identify <strong>\u201ccriminal tribes,\u201d<\/strong> caste data has been integral to administrative and political strategies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2011, the government undertook the <strong>first-ever Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC)<\/strong>; however, it was never made public.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There were many anomalies in the caste data as a large section of the population chose different ways to identify their castes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Constitutional Recognition: <\/strong>Post-independence, the Constitution institutionalised affirmative action through <strong>Articles 16(4) and 340,<\/strong> recognising the socio-economic backwardness of certain groups.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, these classifications were often based on \u201cexpert assessments\u201d rather than empirical data, as seen with the Mandal Commission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While repeated calls for a national caste Census did not materialise, Bihar went ahead, conducting its own in 2023.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments in the Favour of the Caste Based Census<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Accurate Data for Targeted Welfare: <\/strong>It can provide precise data on the socio-economic conditions of different caste groups, allowing the government to tailor welfare programs effectively for marginalized communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Identify Disparities:<\/strong> It helps identify existing inequalities in education, employment, and access to resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Affirmative Action: <\/strong>It helps ensure that affirmative action policies like reservations are based on accurate and updated data, ensuring fair representation for underrepresented communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Justice: <\/strong>The census could push for better policies for upliftment, enhancing social justice for historically disadvantaged groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy Evaluation and Reform: <\/strong>The data could be used to assess the impact of existing policies on different caste groups, leading to better policy reforms and improved governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments Against the Caste Based Census<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Perpetuation of Caste Divisions:<\/strong> It might reinforce caste identities, potentially deepening social divisions and promoting discrimination instead of fostering unity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Focus on Caste Over Development:<\/strong> Critics argue that focusing on caste may divert attention from more universal issues like poverty, education, and healthcare, which affect all communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inaccurate Representation: <\/strong>Some believe that caste-based data may be inaccurate due to the fluidity of caste identities and the reluctance of people to disclose their caste openly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Risks to National Integration:<\/strong> Some fear that caste-based enumeration could undermine national integration by creating a sense of competition among groups, rather than promoting a cohesive national identity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A detailed look at the Bihar Census 2023 highlights the deep-rooted socio-economic inequalities in the State.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The higher castes benefit from better income, education, and employment opportunities, while marginalised groups like Musahars and Bhuiyas remain excluded.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Bihar caste Census is proof of the <strong>need for detailed caste data.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By offering comprehensive insights, this Census shows how it can become an essential tool for informing policies and ensuring resources are allocated effectively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/specials\/text-and-context\/analysing-the-2023-caste-based-census-of-bihar\/article69068009.ece#:~:text=PCA%2C%20which%20utilised%2019%20variables,based%20on%20education%20and%20income.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Analysis of the caste based census of Bihar signifies why a caste-based Census is imperative in India to understand the socio-economic conditions of disadvantaged groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34970,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34966\/revisions\/34970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}