{"id":42507,"date":"2025-05-01T19:33:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T14:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=42507"},"modified":"2025-05-01T19:33:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T14:03:47","slug":"cabinet-approves-caste-enumeration-census-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-05-2025\/cabinet-approves-caste-enumeration-census-2025","title":{"rendered":"Cabinet Approves Caste Enumeration in Upcoming Census"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/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>Recently, the <strong>Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA),<\/strong> chaired by Prime Minister of India, has decided to include <strong>caste enumeration<\/strong> in the upcoming <strong>Census exercise<\/strong>, marking a <strong>significant shift in India\u2019s approach<\/strong> to demographic data collection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Caste Based Enumeration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Historical Perspective<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> The last caste-based enumeration in India was carried out in <strong>1931<\/strong> under British rule, recording <strong>4,147 <\/strong>distinct castes.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Although caste details were <strong>gathered in 1941<\/strong>, they were <strong>never published<\/strong> due to the <strong>outbreak of World War II.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Post-Independence<\/strong>, only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) have been counted in the<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-10-2024\/census-of-india-to-begin-in-2025\"><strong>decennial Census<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In <strong>1961 Directive<\/strong>, the Union Government authorized states to conduct their own surveys to identify OBCs (Other Backward Classes).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 2011, <strong>Socio-Economic Caste Census<\/strong> was conducted to obtain data about socio-economic status of various communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Constitutional Basis for the Decision<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Union Subject: <\/strong>As per <strong>Article 246<\/strong> of the Constitution of India, the Census is a Union subject, listed in the<strong> Union List under the Seventh Schedule.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It ensures that <strong>caste enumeration, conducted as part of the main Census<\/strong>, will have a uniform and transparent framework across the country.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The<strong> Census Act, 1948<\/strong> provides the legal framework for conducting population censuses in India. It outlines the procedures, duties, and penalties associated with census operations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of Caste Enumeration<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Digital Census:<\/strong> The next Census will be conducted in digital mode, with respondents having the option to fill the questionnaire via a mobile application.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A new column for caste enumeration will be added, featuring a drop-down code directory for easy selection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data-Driven Policy Making:<\/strong> Comprehensive caste data will enable evidence-based governance, ensuring fair representation in education, employment, and welfare programs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It will help refine reservation policies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will aid in the implementation of the <strong>33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Addressing Socio-Economic Disparities:<\/strong> The data will provide insights into economic inequalities among caste groups, aiding in targeted development programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial Demand:<\/strong> The Supreme Court&#8217;s judgment in the <strong>Indra Sawhney case <\/strong>established that a state&#8217;s conclusion regarding the &#8220;backwardness&#8221; of a group must be founded on proper assessment and objective evaluation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns Related to Caste Enumeration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Potential for Political Exploitation:<\/strong> Critics argue that caste enumeration could be used as a political tool to influence electoral strategies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are concerns that state-level caste surveys have lacked transparency and were conducted with political motivations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Risk of Deepening Social Divisions:<\/strong> Some fear that caste enumeration may reinforce caste identities, leading to fragmentation rather than inclusivity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The debate over caste-based reservations could intensify, creating social tensions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Challenges in Implementation: <\/strong>Ensuring accurate data collection without manipulation or misrepresentation remains a challenge.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The methodology for caste classification must be transparent and scientifically validated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/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>The inclusion of caste enumeration in the next Census is a landmark decision that promises to reshape India\u2019s socio-political landscape.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By providing detailed data on caste demographics, the government aims to address inequalities and foster inclusive development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As the Census unfolds, its impact on policy-making and societal dynamics will be closely watched.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/caste-enumeration-to-be-part-of-next-census-union-minister-ashwini-vaishnaw\/article69509835.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by Prime Minister of India, has decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming Census exercise, marking a significant shift in India\u2019s approach to demographic data collection.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Caste Based Enumeration<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Historical Perspective: The last caste-based enumeration in India was carried out in 1931 under British rule, recording 4,147 distinct castes.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Although caste details were gathered in 1941, they were never published due to the outbreak of World War II.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-05-2025\/cabinet-approves-caste-enumeration-census-2025\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/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-42507","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\/42507","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=42507"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42532,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42507\/revisions\/42532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}