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Three state governments –Maharashtra, Odisha and Bihar – and a few organisations have requested the government to include caste details in the forthcoming Census, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
“In Census, the castes and tribes which are specifically notified as SCs and STs, according to the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, are enumerated. The government has not enumerated caste-wise populations other than SCs and STs in Census since independence,” said the Minister.
He further said, “The intent of the government for conducting Census 2021 was notified in the gazette of India on March 28, 2019. However, due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, the conduct of Census 2021 and related field activities have been postponed until further orders.”
“In Census, data is collected on demographic and various socioeconomic parameters like education, SC and ST, religion, language, marriage, fertility, disability, occupation and migration of individuals. The questionnaire for the first phase of Census was notified in the gazette of India. The forthcoming census is to be the first digital Census and there is a provision for self-enumeration. A mobile app for collection of data and a Census portal for management and monitoring of various related activities have been developed,” he said in a written reply to a question.
On December 7, Rai had informed the Lok Sabha that the names of the mother tongue and two other languages known in order of proficiency are to be recorded by the enumerators in the forthcoming Census as responded by each person. “A total of 372 posts have been filled in 2020 and 2021 as Census officers in various states to conduct the exercise smoothly,” he had said.
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