Bihar caste survey says 63% people from backward, extremely backward classes
Bihar Caste Survey News: The Bihar government released the caste-based survey report. The extremely backward classes and the backward classes form the OBC.
The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released a caste-based survey report on Monday, ahead of the Lok Sabha election in 2024. According to the survey, the extremely backward classes (EBC) comprise 36.01% of the population, the backward classes 27.12% and the general category 15.52% of the covered population. Scheduled caste comprises 19.65% and scheduled tribes 1.68% of the population covered under the survey.
Of the OBC, Yadavs constitute 14.26% of the surveyed population, while Kushwaha and Kurmi form 4.27% and 2.87% of the covered population.
The first phase of the survey was to mark houses and note the name of family members and their heads while the second phase of the survey was to fill up proforma on the 17-point socio-economic indicators, including caste, has been completed in their respective districts.
According to the data released in Patna by development commissioner Vivek Singh, the state’s total population stood at a little over 13.07 crore.
Notably, the survey was ordered last year after the Narendra Modi government at the Centre made it clear that it would not be able to undertake a headcount of castes other than SCs and STs as part of the census.
Around 2.64 lakh enumerators fanned out across the state, documenting the details of 29 million registered households on 17 socioeconomic criteria – ranging from employment, education, marital status, land holding and property ownership – and caste. Enumerators will have to choose between 214 pre-registered castes that have been allotted individual codes.
A bunch of petitions in the Supreme Court have challenged the August 1 judgment of the high court that allowed the government to carry out the exercise. On August 18, the top court observed that it could not restrain the Bihar government from publishing the cumulative data or findings of the caste survey unless there was a prima facie case to show the violation of any constitutional right or lack of competence on the part of the state government.
Reacting to the development, former chief minister and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav described it as a “historic moment”. “Despite many conspiracies of the BJP, legal hurdles and all the conspiracies, today, the Bihar government released the caste-based survey. These figures will set an example for the country in making holistic planning for proper development and progress of the deprived, neglected and poor and in giving representation to marginalised groups in proportion to the population,” Prasad, whose party is in alliance with the Nitish Kumar's JDU in Bihar, said.
