CASTE CENSUS (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Social Issues)

Context: Recently, the Andhra Pradesh government initiated a comprehensive caste census to enumerate all communities in the state.

Caste Census

• About: The caste census entails the categorization of India's entire population by caste, with a focus on Other Backward Classes (OBCs), rather than solely on Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
• Background: Caste was last included in the Indian Census in 1931 at the time by the Britishers. 
• From 1951 to 2011, every census in independent India provided data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes but not on other castes. 

oThe Britishers ended the practice in the 1941 Census, citing cost restrictions.

• Caste Survey: As only the central government can conduct a census, states like Bihar and Odisha have been conducting socio-economic caste surveys to inform policy-making by assessing the social and economic conditions of various castes.

Importance of Cast Census:

oEquitable representation

oEnumerating the marginalised

oRemoves caste rigidities

oData for Policy Making