New Delhi:
Question on caste – that is, a calculation of different castes and sub -species, and the number of people across the country – will be part of the next census, which is expected to be held next year, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said during a cabinet briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
The government’s big decision – in the last few years, the opposition frequently and outspokenly – it comes months before an important assembly elections in Bihar.
This is important because in October 2023 it was Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government – when he was still associated with the Rashtra Janata Dal and the Congress – which was pushed through a caste survey.
Bihar became the first state to release such data. The survey indicated that 36 percent of the state’s population was from extremely backward classes, 27.1 percent from backward classes, 19.7 percent from scheduled castes and 1.7 percent from Scheduled Tribes.
Result of the report – In addition to opposing parties to intensify the demands of a nationwide caste survey, a topic that was also a major flashpoint in the campaign for the last year’s Lok Sabha elections – in which the Bihar government ordered a special quota to 65 percent.
