The caste census debate

September 2, 2021

Syllabus: General studies paper 1

Context:

The Government of India has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise populations other than SCs and STs in Census 2021.

The demand for caste census usually comes from among those belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) and other deprived sections, while sections from the upper castes oppose the idea.
Also Backward class Muslims have demanded that all religions in India be counted according to their caste category

Background:

Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. Before that, every Census until 1931 had data on caste.
However, in 1941, caste-based data was collected but not published.
The Mandal Commission estimated the OBC population at 52%, some other estimates have been based on National Sample Survey data.

Need for a caste census:

Social and legal necessity:
- Broader caste information is a necessity to capture contemporary Indian society and to understand and remedy inequalities.
- There is a need for understanding of castes from the local, to the regional and to the national scale.
- There is a need to understand the nuances that shape caste and simultaneously the ways in which caste shapes everyday life in India.
Affirmative actions: The Supreme Court has been asking States to produce quantifiable data to justify their levels of caste based reservation.
- In the absence of such a census, there is no proper estimate for the population of OBCs, various groups within the OBCs, and others.
- The constitutional body National Commission for Backward Classes urged the government to collect data on the population of OBCs “as part of Census of India 2021 exercise”
Dalit Muslims: Pasmanda Muslims have demanded a caste census of Muslim community in India too, to better access developmental funding aimed at minorities for a real targeting of benefits, and a real democratisation among Muslims.
- Indian Muslims, too, are victims of caste-based stratification, and are divided into three main classes and hundreds of biradaris.
- Backward class Muslims can avail themselves of reservations only in the OBC category.

Government’s stand

The Union of India after Independence decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste wise population other than SCs and STs.
Variable lists of OBCs: There is a Central list of OBCs and State-specific list of OBCs. Some States do not have a list of OBCs; some States have a list of OBCs and a sub-set called Most Backward Classes.
- The status of a migrant from one State to another and the status of children of inter-caste marriage, in terms of caste classification, are also vexed questions.

Challenges:

A large administrative exercise of capturing caste and its complexities is not only difficult but also socially untenable.
Political and social repercussions of a caste census: There have been concerns that counting caste may help solidify caste and communal divisions in Indian society.
Difficult to measure: Caste may be context-specific, and thus difficult to measure. The other concern is whether an institution such as caste can even be captured completely by the Census.

Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC)

In 2011, the SECC was conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development in rural areas and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation in urban areas.
The SECC data excluding caste data was finalised and published by the two ministries in 2016.
However, presumably because of the lack of reliability of the data collected, or its political and electoral sensitivity, the caste portion of the SECC has not been disclosed so far.

The Hindu Link:

Question: What are your views on the increasing demand for a comprehensive caste census in India? Elaborate