The Union government has recently made a submission in the Supreme Court arguing that conducting a caste census of the Backward Classes presents significant administrative difficulties and is not practical. The government’s stance was expressed in response to a writ petition filed by the State of Maharashtra, which sought to collect caste data of the Backward Classes in the state during the 2021 Census.
Government’s Stand Against the Caste Census
The Centre provided several reasons for opposing a caste census. One of these is the issue of unusable data. The Government stated that even during the pre-Independence era, when castes were included in censuses, the resulting data had issues regarding its completeness and accuracy. The government also said that caste data from the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 is ‘unusable’ for official purposes due to numerous technical errors.
Another reason offered by the Centre is that a caste-based census is not an ideal policy tool. It highlighted that caste-wise enumeration in the Census has been discontinued since 1951 as a matter of policy. The Centre further explained that many individuals might avoid registering their caste details in the census, thus compromising the ‘basic integrity’ of the census.
Finally, conducting a caste census is administratively challenging, according to the government. It noted that preparations for the 2021 Census, which began nearly four years ago, are almost complete, and it would be too late to include caste enumeration.
Arguments in Favour of SECC
However, there are arguments in favour of conducting the SECC. Some believe that it can be useful in establishing a statistical justification for preserving caste-based affirmative action programmes or welfare schemes. It may also satisfy the legal necessity of having ‘quantifiable data’ to support the existing levels of reservation, as courts often require such data.
Undertaking a comprehensive exercise to enumerate the caste status of every household in the country could help identify impoverished households and implement anti-poverty programmes more effectively.
Census, SECC, and Their Differences
The Census, which traces its origins in India back to the colonial exercise of 1881, provides a snapshot of the Indian population. It has evolved over time and is now utilized by the government, policy-makers, academics, and others to understand the demographics of the Indian population, allocate resources, track social changes, and carry out delimitation exercises.
On the other hand, the SECC, which was conducted for the first time since 1931, aims to cover every Indian family, both in rural and urban areas, and gather data on their economic status and specific caste names. This data could then be used by authorities to identify economically disadvantaged caste groups and plan welfare measures.
The main difference between the two is that the Census provides a comprehensive picture of the Indian population, while the SECC aims to identify beneficiaries of state support. Furthermore, while Census data is confidential, data obtained through the SECC can be used by Government departments to grant or restrict benefits to households.
Way Forward
Despite the concerns associated with the SECC, linking and syncing aggregated Census data with other large datasets like the National Sample Surveys could assist governments in achieving various socio-economic objectives. Furthermore, a preliminary socio-anthropological study could be conducted at the State and district levels to identify all sects and sub-castes present in the population, separate from the census.
Though a caste census may seem to contradict the goal of a casteless society, it could potentially serve as a means of addressing societal inequities.
