Caste census in June-Sept next year
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COMMENTS 
A focused, stand-alone, house-to-house caste headcount will be conducted between June and September 2011, after the National Population Register is ready. This decision comes after five months of wrangling among political parties, first over whether to undertake a caste enumeration or not, then over how to go about it
It’s official. The country will have its first caste census in 80 years and it will be conducted over four months next year, between June and September. Cabinet has finally given its nod for a stand-alone caste census, reasoning that a separate exercise would ensure accuracy and avoid duplicity in counting that could arise if it were linked to the ongoing census.
Announcing the decision that came against the backdrop of demands from almost every political party for a caste headcount, Home Minister P Chidambaram said that the “caste” of all persons as returned by them would be canvassed and the enumeration carried out as a separate exercise from June 2011 to September 2011. The last such exercise was done in 1931.
“After considering various options, the option we have approved is, based on the responses of various parties, that caste must be canvassed and the integrity of the headcount must not be affected,” said Chidambaram.
Sources in the government said this would be a “focused exercise”. They stressed that the enumerators would be working on a verified database -- the NPR -- and so the integrity of the data would be maintained. Those being enumerated would be asked to state their caste, but they will have the option of saying “no caste”, say sources.
Though the detailed modalities will be worked out in the coming days, the primary collection of data from the field will be conducted by the office of the registrar general and census commissioner. An expert group that will be constituted after the enumeration will then analyse and classify the data accordingly. “Every point of view has been accommodated and the timetable drawn up… We hope this will be a satisfactory arrangement,” Chidambaram said.
The decision, though, will necessitate amendments in the Census Act, primarily to ensure that it does not face legal hurdles. This was thought necessary, government sources say, to avoid a stay or adverse directives from courts in the event of PILs. The law ministry will be consulted on the matter.
Doing this could be contentious, as there are two views: those who favour the merger say that correlating the caste identities of people with their educational and economic status will help map the population better, thus facilitating a more accurate targeting of welfare schemes. Those who oppose it fear that making such connections could lead to a demand for larger quotas.
At the Cabinet meet, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who held consultations with the Opposition as well as other parties, besides seeking their views in writing on the subject, pointed out that the financial component would be higher because of a separate exercise being conducted. But, he said, it would ensure greater accuracy.
Source: The Indian Express, September 10, 2010
Press Trust of India, September 10, 2010
The Hindu, September 10, 2010