Caste data to be part of next population census: Centre's big announcement

The Union government stated Wednesday that caste-based enumeration will be included in the forthcoming decadal census. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the high-powered cabinet committee on political issues, which made the decision. The Cabinet committee on political affairs, led by Prime Minister Modi, resolved to include cast enumeration in the upcoming census. It underlines the government's commitment to societal values and interests," Union Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw told the reporters.

The union minister stated that in the past, the government had implemented 10% reservation for the economically disadvantaged sectors of society without generating any hardship in any section. The declaration, made before of the Bihar assembly elections later this year, was high on the opposition's agenda, which has been urging the government to conduct a caste census.

The Janata Dal United (JDU), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), conducted a caste census in Bihar while it was a member of the opposition's Mahagathabandhan. Referring to states that conduct caste-based enumeration, the minister stated that the exercise should be done with "transparency."