30 April,2025 11:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it is the Narendra Modi government`s resolve to transparently include caste enumeration in the forthcoming pan-India census exercise. Pic/PTI
In a major decision, the government on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise in a "transparent" manner.
Announcing the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveys.
He alleged that the states ruled by Opposition parties have conducted the caste surveys for political reasons and added that it is the Narendra Modi government's resolve to transparently include caste enumeration in the forthcoming pan-India census exercise, news agency PTI reported.
The census exercise was to commence in April 2020 but got delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
Meanwhile, the leaders in Maharashtra, cutting across party lines, have welcomed the Centre's decision on conducting the caste census.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday hailed the Centre's decision and called it a historic milestone in the country's journey towards social justice that will help in equitable distribution of resources.
Addressing a press conference in Thane, Shinde said, "The caste census will usher in a new era of social justice by enabling accurate policy-making based on the actual demographic data of different castes."
He likened the decision to the Modi government's some other key steps such as the abrogation of Article 370.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "bold and inclusive leadership", he said it was one of the most courageous decisions taken by the government since independence.
Ajit Pawar, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, in a post on social media platform X, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi, and wrote, "The decision of the Central Government to conduct a caste-wise census is very welcome and will help all sections of society to get their just rights. The government will be able to provide more funds for the development of socially weak, deprived and marginalized sections. This will help in raising the educational and economic level of backward sections of society and the goal of establishing social equality can be achieved more quickly."
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday described the Central government's decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census as a "golden and historic day" for the country, reported PTI.
He alleged that the Congress never considered conducting a caste-based census when it was in power for decades.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) Spokesperson Pravin Kunte Patil claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had always opposed the caste census, however, the latest U-turn symbolises the victory of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.
"We support the government's decision. NCP (SP) will ensure that this decision does not become an election jumla," he added.
NCP (SP) legislator Jayant Patil has also welcomed the decision and said that his party has been demanding a caste-wise census for the past several years. "I am confident that a caste-wise census will further strengthen the idea of âÂÂâÂÂequality in our country," he wrote on X.
Another NCP (SP) legislator, Jitendra Awhad, has termed the decision the Opposition's victory. "The government has finally given up. There will be a caste-wise census. This is a victory for the pressure exerted by the opposition. The Central government had to retreat in the face of the struggle waged by many activists like us. The greater the number, the greater the responsibility," he stated in a post on X.
(With PTI inputs)
