Caste census in cabinet today

The Union Cabinet will take a final call on Wednesday if 25 million enumerators tasked to conduct India’s headcount next February should ask people their caste too.

The Union Cabinet will take a final call on Wednesday if 25 million enumerators tasked to conduct India’s headcount next February should ask people their caste too.

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Government sources insisted the decision to conduct the census was taken around the time the Prime Minister committed to revisiting the question.

“What needs to be agreed upon at this stage is how the question would be formulated and the safeguards to be built into the exercise to ensure that, to the extent possible, data integrity is maintained,” a source said.

There is an apprehension in a section of the government that some politically conscious communities would try to exaggerate the size of their family during the headcount in the hope of quota benefits.