Member of Rajya Sabha, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, asked the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) whether the Union has any proposal to release the categorised and classified Socio Economic and Caste (SECC) 2011 data, caste-wise and region-wise of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and General Category other than Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Further, he also questioned the Centre whether they have any proposal to conduct the 2021 population census on caste basis including the castes falling under OBCs and General Category along with SCs and STs.
In a written statement provided by the Minister of State (Home Affairs), Nityanand Rai said that the SECC 2011 data was first conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and then the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) in both rural and urban areas.
“The SECC 2011 data excluding the caste data have been finalized and published by MoRD and HUPA….The raw caste data was provided to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) for classification and categorisation of the data. As informed by MoSJE, there is no proposal to release the caste data at this stage,” stated his answer.
In response to another set of questions posed by Rajya Sabha members Chhaya Verma, Vishwambhar Prasad and Sukhram Singh Yadav about a column for caste census in the proforma for the proposed Census 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs said, “The Union of India after independence, decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste wise population other than SCs and STs.”
Interestingly, last month in February, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the government on a petition seeking caste-based census in 2021. The plea that was filed by one G Mallesh Yadav, sought directions to be issued to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, and the National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC) for conducting a caste-wise census for backward classes in 2021.
Yadav has argued that the caste-wise census of backward classes has an imperative role in implementing reservations regarding education, employment sectors, panchayat raj elections and municipal elections and lack of such census creates problems in deciding the percentage of reservations for backward classes proportionate to their population. His plea before the top court also states that a proforma of 2021 population census has columns for Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes but not for OBCs.
The answers may be read here:
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