Procedure for first-ever caste census in Maharashtra since independence finalised

The census, which is being launched almost a century after it was last undertaken in British India, is expected to cost around ₹435 crore and cover all households

The Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes (MSCBC) has finalised the empirical data collection format and norms for the massive Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) proposed in the state. The census, which is being launched almost a century after it was last undertaken in British India, is expected to cost around ₹435 crore and cover all households.

Representational picture.

An MSCBC member said that they finalised the questionnaire for the census in a meeting of the commission at Pune on Wednesday. “This will combine the questionnaire and data chart used by the Central government for its 2011 SECC exercise and the general census proposed in 2021. The proposal will be sent to the state government by Tuesday,” he added. The state government is yet to give a nod for caste census though Other Backward Class (OBC) ministers in the MVA government are demanding the same.

This data will cover details of individual households, their caste location and political representation. It will seek information about the caste, sub-caste, religion, educational and employment status, migration details, type of house, source of drinking water, fuel used for cooking, vehicles owned and whether these families have access to toilets, mobile phones, computers and internet services, to assess their social backwardness.

The member said they wanted the exercise to be undertaken by the state government to ensure authenticity. This data will be analysed by the commission. However, the time taken to complete the census will depend on the state government. The MSCBC members plan to meet chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and other ministers in Mumbai to discuss this.

At present, the Central government collects data only for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the decadal census and has refused to enumerate other populations in the 2021 census.

The proposed SECC will be crucial for restoring political reservations for OBCs in local self-government bodies like municipal corporations, councils, zilla parishads and gram panchayats.

In March, the Supreme Court (SC) struck down Maharashtra’s 27% political quota for OBCs due to the lack of empirical data about their backwardness. It said that the state can grant these reservations after setting up a backward class commission to conduct an empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of their backwardness.

This may lead to blowback for the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime with the OBCs being upset over losing 57,000 seats. The elections to 18 municipal corporations including Mumbai are scheduled next year, while the term of three corporations is already over.

“This exercise will also generate rich data across castes and religions… similarly, it will help the commission take scientific decisions on inclusion and exclusion of sections in the backward classes,” he explained.

While the SECC is expected to cost ₹435 crore, this also includes the allowance to be paid to enumerators. This can be changed or lowered by the government to reduce these costs.

Caste-based census

The references to a caste census are found in the Rigveda and Kautilya Arthashastra. Emperor Akbar’s minister Abul Fazal mentions a comprehensive caste-based census.

Now, only data about SCs and STs is collected in the census

OBCs are expected to be around 53% of Maharashtra’s population (43.70% Hindus and 8.40% non-Hindus).

The Maharashtra assembly has approved a resolution seeking a caste-based census. However, the Centre has refused to enumerate caste-wise populations other than Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the 2021 Census.