No plan to enumerate caste data in Census-2021 other than SCs, STs: Govt
Mukesh Ranjan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 10
The government on Wednesday announced that it has no plans to enumerate caste-wise data in census-2021 claiming that the Union of India after Independence took a decision as a matter of policy not to do it other than the enumeration of the population belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Replying to a written question by RJD member Manoj Jha in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nityanand Rai said, “In Census, the castes and tribes which are specifically notified as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 (as amended from time to time) are enumerated.”
The Minister further contended that the Union of India after independence, “decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste wise population other than SCs and STs”.
Rai, however, said, Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 was conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the then Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) in rural and urban areas respectively.
“The SECC 2011 data excluding the caste data have been finalised and published by MoRD and HUPA. The Office of the Registrar General, India had provided logistics and technical support in conducting the SECC-2011. The raw caste data has been provided to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) for classification and categorisation of the data,” the Minister said, adding that as informed by MoSJE, “there is no proposal to release the caste data at this stage”.
Noting that in view of the COVID-19 pandemic the fieldwork for Census-2021could not be initiated and new schedules for the purpose are being designed in consultation with various stakeholders.
The Minister also informed that a number of mobile applications for the collection of data and a Portal for management and monitoring of various Census related activities have been developed.
Rai, however, contended that no technical assistance has been obtained from “any international agency for conducting census operations in the field, development of census questionnaires, Mobile applications and Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal”.
The role of international agencies is limited to support in the development of publicity material and e-learning training modules by UNICEF, UN WOMEN and UNFPA, he added.
