After decades of debate, the Indian government has finally agreed to include caste in the next national census, a move that could signific...
After decades of debate, the Indian government has finally agreed to include caste in the next national census, a move that could significantly shape the country's future policies and politics. Having a caste recorded census gives a clear understanding to the government to assess each and every group of the community, thereby helping to restructure the aid funds to reach the hands of the needy. Muslims are also included this time.
The last caste-recorded census was done during British rule in 1931. In 2011, the UPA government ran a socio-economic & caste census; however, the information was not made public. Bihar, in 2023, did a caste-recorded census and was able to make appropriate reforms with the data on hand. Karnataka & Telangana too did similar exercises to fine-tune their welfare schemes.
However, a caste census is a sensitive & complex task, as many parameters have changed in the last century. The culture of caste-based occupation has shifted radically; geographical boundaries & economic opportunities are no longer a hurdle in modern India anymore. Nevertheless, additional data of the people of India will help shape a better & stronger country if done right.
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