OBC intellectuals and activists demand inclusion of caste category in 2021 Census

The members demanded adding a column on caste in the census as had been the practice till 1931.

A group of academicians and activists from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has demanded the inclusion of castes category in the next national general census in 2021.

HT Image

The group, consisting of retired bureaucrat PS Krishna and social activist Chandan Yadav, met at the Gandhi Peace Foundation in Delhi on Friday to discuss the status of the OBC caste census.

The members demanded adding a column on caste in the census as had been the practice till 1931. Yadav said the recent Jat and Patidars’ agitations seeking reservation had forced the BJP government to announce a commission, headed by Justice G Rohini, for sub-categorization of OBCs in August 2017. “But the panel does not have any OBC member in it,” he said.

In absence of proper data, Yadav said benefits of several welfare schemes and policies are not reaching the deserved.

He said the members have resolved to fight for the affirmative action for OBCs under the umbrella of the National Campaign for OBC Caste Census Committee.