Title : 3. Caste Based Census: An Analysis

Date : Nov 24, 2021

Description :

GS I

 

Topic à Population related issues

 

• Context:

 

• Although the Union government told the Supreme Court that caste-based data from the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) was "unusable," the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner of India informed the Standing Committee on Rural Development in 2016 that 98.87 percent of the data on individual caste and religion was "free from errors."

 

• What is the government's justification for declaring the data "unusable":

 

• The government estimated that there had been 4,147 castes in 1931, but SECC data shows that there are now over 46 lakh castes. Even if certain castes divide into sub-castes, the total number of sub-castes cannot be exponentially large. • The entire effort was polluted because the data collectors used separate words for the same castes. Many responders, as per the authorities, refused to disclose their castes.

 

• How have caste statistics been acquired so far:

 

• While the census enumerators collect data on SC/STs, they do not collect data on other castes. The most popular method is self-declaration to the enumerator.
• Until date, several states' backward classes commissions performed their own demographic counts to ascertain the amount of backward castes.

 

• What type of caste information does the Census release:

 

• Every census in independent India between 1951 and 2011 provided data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. Until 1931, caste information was recorded in every census.

 

• What is the purpose of SECC 2011:

 

• The 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census was a humongous endeavour to collect data on diverse communities' socio-economic condition.
• It was divided into two sections: a survey of rural and urban households and their classification based on predetermined variables, and a caste census.
• Only the details of people's economic circumstances in rural and urban areas, however, were made public. The caste statistics has yet to be released.

 

 

 

 

• What's the difference between the Census and the SECC:

 

• Because the Census is controlled by the Census Act of 1948, all data are considered private, whereas the SECC collects personal information that can be used by government departments to grant or deny benefits to households.

 

• Caste census benefits:

 

• Knowing the exact population of each caste would help adapt the reservation policy so that everyone is fairly represented.

 

• Issues relating to:

 

• It's probable that some people will get the shivers, leading to requests for higher or distinct quotas.
• It has been suggested that just labelling someone as belonging to a particular caste helps to keep the system in place.

 

• Source à The Hindu Page 5

Tags : census of india, caste system