Peter Drucker had once said, “Only what gets measured gets managed.” The prime purpose of any enumeration of the population of a socially stratified country like India is to bring in targeted development through apt policy formulation, optimum utilisation and equitable distribution of the resources, through that policy implementation, leading to overall development of the country. First census happened in 1881 and last Caste census happened in 1931 during British Raj in India. Since 1951 on, the SCs and STs were enumerated in the census but what difference the coming census can make?  

How the population can be enumerated today? There is a need of socio-economic caste specific census, tracing the overall development of the particular caste groups. Further, the more significant issue is that it shall not be conducted casually for political windfalls. A sincerely conducted caste census can bring-in drastic transformations in the lives of the poor and marginalised communities. Through the lenses of Mahatma Phule and Ambedkar the idea of caste census shall be based on a contemporary democratic belief system to ensure absolute equality and empowerment of the underprivileged.

Politicisation of Caste Census

Post 1931, when the caste census last happened, the debate to include caste census in the decadal census was there during 2011 and recently in 2021 also, but nothing came out as constructive.  As the Bihar Assembly elections (2025), Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections (2027) and the General Elections (2029), speaking of Caste census can be a political stunt ‘again’ to get political mileage during elections. Speaking of Socio-economic Caste Census in 2011, Bihar Caste Census, 2022 and Telangana Caste census in 2024 could not bring any revolution or transformation in the social terrain of the states/country, as the caste issues, usually a sort of formality has often brought to discussion during/around elections to woo the lower caste vote bank (being the major chunk of the population).

Recently, it has been noticed that there are different views on the validity of the announcements on caste census made by the government - One view says that it’s a politically charged statement. There is a second view which says that it is a big effort- at least government is thinking of decennial census, forget about Caste census. The third view says that the cast enumeration that would be conducted should be fair enough to be acceptable by the people, civil society and the intelligentsia. The last view welcomes the caste census with open arms and speaks of the fulfilment of dreams of great social reformers and leaders like- Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Dr BR Ambedkar, Manyawar Kanshiram and many more.

Getting Away with Reservation?

Every then and now government speaks of ending reservation, especially when the protests for the demand of reservation in private sector is still going on. The question comes on what ground government can get away with the of rights of marginalised communities to have proper representation in education, politics and jobs. Also, with the privatisation of public sector the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are losing jobs at the same time the mobility of these caste groups has also been curtailed and government has no data or study to count under or over representation of any caste group in private sector as well. Therefore, to enumerate the representation of different caste groups is relevant, more so since government’s recent move to increase private stake in major public sector entities.

While the private sector is comfortable paying for the education of SCs and STs, it is reluctant to employ them. (Khan, Mar 2019) ‘Given the range of economic discrimination against marginalised groups like SCs, STs and OBCs the reservation policy for the private sector ought to cover not only employment, but also markets, agricultural land, capital, consumer goods, education, housing, government contracts, etc.’ (Thorat, 2004)

A Socio-Economic Caste Census

The Socio-economic caste census was done in 2011 census but the data was never released. We again want a socio-economic caste specific census that can enlist the social status and the economy of a particular caste group, tracing the transformation and development among the particular castes. For illustration the social status is according to caste system what was the status of a particular caste – the occupation, oppression, atrocities, discrimination etc. at the same time the economic condition of a particular caste- what was his source of earning, what kind of transformation they have done/achieved so far- like weather they are manual scavengers, potters, barbers, house maids, sweepers, class four employ, the businessman, doctor engineer or any other profession. Speaking from implementation of reservation policy to the budgetary allocations to the SCs Sub Plan (SCSP) and STs Sub Plan (STSP), the right intention and a considerable effort has been required for the upliftment of SCs, STs and OBCs. And therefore, a fair caste census.

Authenticity, Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness

More than the process, authenticity of the caste enumeration and the actual benefit of the caste census to the marginalised and the country as a whole there is much hullabaloo about the politicisation of caste census. A clumsily conducted enumeration may not be acceptable to the Indian People, the civil society and the intelligentsia. But what is significant also, is looking at the nuances of the conduction of the caste enumeration- the accountability, transparency, responsiveness and being unbiased. The pertinent question here is to bring in the loop the under privileged and the downtrodden who have been discriminated since approximately three thousand years and today also their presence in the middle and higher echelons of our country is considerably thin. There might to be issues and challenges as we are entering into a new experiment altogether of enumerating caste from different perspectives but surely, we may streamline in the coming decades.

Lastly, keeping this in mind the above discussion, it would be imperative to amend the Census Act, 1948 to make enumeration by caste mandatory, instead of leaving it to the urges of the Union executive. With slight changes or entries in the regular Performa, the caste enumeration can be made a regular exercise as a part of decennial census. The enumeration shall be independent and free from any biases. It shall not be conducted to fulfil political agenda but for the upliftment and empowerment of the marginalised groups and in turn bring in changes in global indexes like - poverty, inequality, malnutrition, unemployment, hunger.

- The author Dr Renu Singh is an independent researcher based in Lucknow.