The Andhra Pradesh assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to take up caste-based census to enumerate the population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
There has been a growing demand for the caste-based census. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar led an all-party delegation from his state that met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 23 to raise the demand.
The British enumerated castes in the decadal censuses from 1881 to 1931 but the practice was discontinued thereafter. The census has since counted the number of people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. OBC are believed to account for over 50% of India’s population.
Andhra Pradesh’s backward classes minister Chelluboyina Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna introduced the resolution, which was adopted through a voice vote. Opposition Telugu Desam Party stayed away from the proceedings.
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“The state legislative assembly is of the unanimous view that there is a need to take up caste-based census in order to ensure equal justice to all sections of people as envisaged in the preamble of the Indian Constitution. The enumeration of the other backward classes, along with the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities as part of the 2021 general census,” the resolution said.
It added it is necessary to maintain accurate statistics for taking up various welfare and developmental schemes for the uplift of the backward classes, apart from taking decisive actions like identifying the poor among OBCs and extending them benefits for education and employment.
{{/usCountry}}It added it is necessary to maintain accurate statistics for taking up various welfare and developmental schemes for the uplift of the backward classes, apart from taking decisive actions like identifying the poor among OBCs and extending them benefits for education and employment.
{{/usCountry}}Krishna called OBCs society’s backbone. He added they were unable to get adequate benefits from the government. Krishna underlined it is essential to have the exact data of these sections so that benefits of the welfare schemes reach them. “Unfortunately, there has been no accurate data with regard to the OBCs. The last caste-based census was conducted in India way back in 1931, when the country’s population was just 300 million, including that of (present-day) Pakistan and Bangladesh. At present, the country’s population is 1.3 billion. We are forced to make estimates of the castes based on the 1931 data.”
He added an accurate data of the castes would help the government extend reservations and benefits of other welfare schemes and judicious use of its resources. “This has been the long-pending demand of various OBC sections, intellectuals and social groups.”