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Rajasthan government issues order for caste survey
The order came within hours after Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot announced the decision to conduct a caste based survey in the state
The Rajasthan Social Justice and Empowerment Department issued orders asking the Planning Department to conduct a caste survey in the state late Saturday night, within hours after chief minister Ashok Gehlot announced the exercise.
Rajasthan will be the second state in the country after Bihar to conduct such a population count. The assembly polls in Rajasthan are due later this year and the election schedule is expected to be announced anytime soon.
According to the order issued by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment after the state cabinet’s nod, the Rajasthan government will conduct the survey with its own resources for collecting information and figures related to social, economic and educational level of all its citizens.
Sharing a copy of the order for caste survey on its official ‘X’ account, the ruling Congress said, “The Congress government of Rajasthan will conduct a caste-based survey. Congress is working on its resolution of ‘greater the participation, greater the share’.”
A nationwide caste census is a key agenda of the opposition INDIA bloc, which believes it will help the alliance in the forthcoming elections in the Hindi heartland where caste politics plays a key role.
Bihar published its caste census on October 2 that showed that the other backward classes (OBCs) and the extremely backward classes (EBCs) constitute around 63% of the state population. Following Bihar, political leaders in many states demanded a similar survey in their states, apparently to make it a major issue in 2024 general election.
On Saturday, Gehlot had stated, “Census can only be conducted by the Centre. We are doing a survey of the families from which their economic condition will be known. The model code of conduct that kicks in once dates of polls are declared will not be a hinderance.”
The social justice department’s order said, “The expenditure of the caste-based survey will be spent from the state government’s own resources. The survey will gather all the data of the citizens regarding their socio-economic, and educational status which will be thoroughly studied by the government to bring relevant special welfare schemes to improve the condition of the backward communities.”
While the planning department was made nodal agency of the survey, the district collectors, municipality chairman, councillors, and the members of the gram panchayats would assist to conduct the survey, the order said.
It also said, “The nodal agency will prepare a set of questions that would help to get all the information of the socio-economic, and educational status of the citizens. The information obtained from the survey will be saved digitally.”
The department will also create a special software and mobile app with the assistance of the Information, Technology and Communication Department to keep the information collected from the survey safe.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Rajendra Rathore told the reporters, “Ashok Gehlot declared this just three days before the code of conduct for election comes into action. If the caste-based census was so important, why did he not decide on it earlier? Only the Centre has the right to conduct a caste-based census. He is trying to find his lost support base in the name of the census.”
