India's cabinet has approved the inclusion of citizens' caste details in its upcoming population census, announced the information minister on Wednesday. This move on a sensitive issue comes ahead of regional elections. The census, originally due in 2021, has been delayed by the pandemic and logistical challenges, and no new start date has been announced. 🗓️

Caste, a centuries-old rigid social hierarchy, plays a significant role in Indian life and politics. Numerous caste-based political parties exist, and many state institutions reserve quotas for lower castes in jobs and education. Supporters argue for the necessity of caste data to identify those needing government assistance, while critics believe caste has no place in a modern, ambitious nation. 🌍

The announcement precedes elections in Bihar, an eastern state where caste is a crucial political factor and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party alliance aims to maintain power. 🗳️

Information Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that including caste details in the census ensures transparency, contrasting with potentially biased and non-transparent state-level surveys. 📝

India last recorded caste data 80 years ago in 1931. A subsequent survey in 2011 collected caste information, but the data were not released due to accuracy concerns. 🔒

In 2024, two southern states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, announced their caste surveys. Bihar released its caste census data in 2022. 📈

The main opposition Congress party and Rahul Gandhi have been advocating for a socio-economic caste census and supporting raising the 50% cap on quotas for backward castes in government jobs and education. They argue that the census aims to understand not just caste numbers but also their economic participation. 🤔

Analysts fear that new census data might reveal a larger population of backward castes, potentially leading to demands for increasing the existing quota limits, which are based on decades-old data. ⚠️

Key Points:

India's census, due in 2021, will now include caste details.
The last nationwide caste data was collected in 1931.
Caste data collected but not released in 2011.
Bihar released a caste census in 2022.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana announced caste surveys in 2024.
The current quota cap for backward castes is 50%.

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