Caste Census in India

Sub : Polity

Sec : Msc

Why in News

The demand for a caste census has reignited political and social debates in India. Proponents view it as a necessary step for equitable resource distribution, while critics question its practicality and feasibility.

About Caste Census:

The first caste census was conducted in 1871-72 across the North-Western Provinces, Central Provinces, Bengal, and Madras.
Caste Census is the demand to include the caste-wise tabulation of India’s population in the upcoming exercise.
Caste, a powerful cultural underpinning of Indian culture, was last included in the Indian Census in 1931.
The drill was carried out at the time by the Britishers. From 1951 to 2011, every census in independent India provided data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes but not on other castes.
The Britishers ended the practice in the 1941 Census, citing cost restrictions. The lost parameter was not picked up by the Indian government.
In the absence of such a census, there is no reliable estimate of the number of OBCs, other categories within OBCs, and others.
Arbitrary classifications such as “servants and labourers” and “mendicants and devotees” were included.
Lack of clarity in defining caste categories.
Disparate caste claims in different regions; for example, the same caste reported as Kshatriya in one area and Brahmin in another.
The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 identified 7 lakh castes/sub-castes but acknowledged 8.2 crore errors.

Difference between SECC and Caste Census:

The Census presents a portrait of the Indian people, whereas the SECC is a tool for identifying state assistance recipients.
Because the Census is conducted in accordance with the Census Act of 1948, all data are deemed secret, however the SECC website states that “all personal information submitted in the SECC is open for use by Government agencies to award and/or restrict benefits to families.”

Socio-Economic and Caste Census:

The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) was conducted in 2011 for the first time since 1931.
SECC is meant to canvass every Indian family, both in rural and urban India, and ask about their:
Economic status, so as to allow Central and State authorities to come up with a range of indicators of deprivation, permutations, and combinations of which could be used by each authority to define a poor or deprived person.
It is also meant to ask every person their specific caste name to allow the government to re-evaluate which caste groups were economically worse off and which were better off.

About Census:

Conducted in 1872 during British rule; not synchronized across the country.
First Synchronous Census: Conducted in 1881 and has been conducted every 10 years since then.
Census is conducted under the Census Act of 1948, which provides the legal framework.
Conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The first post-independence Census was conducted in 1951.
India’s Census is the largest such exercise in the world, covering over 3 billion people.
Covers demographics, socio-economic parameters, housing, migration, and more.
Provides critical data for planning, resource allocation, and implementing government schemes.