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The Politics of Caste Enumeration in India: Opportunities, Deflections, and Historical Patterns

The Politics of Caste Enumeration in India: Opportunities, Deflections, and Historical Patterns Introduction: The Promise and Peril of Census 2027 Sociologist Trina Vithayathil, author of Counting Caste (Cambridge University Press, published online April 30, 2025), argues that India’s Census 2027 presents a unique opportunity to map the intersections of caste, gender, and religion. However, without institutional accountability and transparency, the census risks perpetuating historical patterns of bureaucratic deflection—strategies used by the state to suppress meaningful caste data and analysis. Historically, successive Indian governments have promised caste enumeration only to backtrack, raising the question: Will Census 2027 be a genuine step toward caste equity, or another deflection? The Bihar Caste Survey: A Case Study in Decentralization In October 2023, the Government of Bihar published preliminary findings from its first statewide caste survey, followed by a full report in Nov...
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జనగణనలో కుల గణన: పారదర్శకత ఎలా?

T.Chiranjeevulu, IAS Ret కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం 2025 ఏప్రిల్ 30న జనగణనలో కుల గణన చేపట్టాలని తీసుకున్న నిర్ణయం భారతదేశంలో సామాజిక న్యాయం కోసం ఒక చారిత్రక అడుగు. ఇది ఓబీసీల చిరకాల డిమాండ్‌ను నెరవేర్చడమే కాక, వెనుకబడిన కులాలకు న్యాయం అందించే దిశగా కొత్త అధ్యాయాన్ని సృష్టిస్తుంది. అయితే, ఈ కుల గణన పారదర్శకంగా, విశ్వసనీయంగా జరగాలంటే కొన్ని కీలక అంశాలను పరిగణనలోకి తీసుకోవాలి. ఈ వ్యాసంలో పారదర్శకత, విశ్వసనీయత కోసం అవసరమైన సూచనలను చర్చిస్తాం. కుల గణన యొక్క ప్రాముఖ్యత భారతదేశంలో కులం ఒక సామాజిక వాస్తవికత. ఇది వివక్ష, అణచివేతలకు కారణమవుతుంది. కుల గణన ద్వారా సామాజిక, ఆర్థిక వెనుకబాటుతనాన్ని గుర్తించి, సమస్యలకు పరిష్కారాలు చూపే అవకాశం ఉంది. ఇది ఓబీసీ రిజర్వేషన్ల సమీక్ష, ఉప-వర్గీకరణ, మానవ అభివృద్ధి సూచికల మెరుగుదలకు దోహదపడుతుంది. పారదర్శకత కోసం సూచనలు కుల గణన విజయవంతంగా, నమ్మకంగా జరగాలంటే కింది సూచనలు పాటించాలి: సెన్సస్ డిపార్ట్‌మెంట్ ఆధ్వర్యంలో నిర్వహణ కుల గణన సెన్సస్ డిపార్ట్‌మెంట్ ఆధ్వర్యంలో జరగాలి, ఎందుకంటే ఈ విభాగంలో శిక్షణ పొందిన అధికారులు, అనుభవం, పర్యవేక్షణ నైపుణ్యం ఉంటాయి. గతంలో (2011) గ్రామీ...
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Caste Census needs legal validity — case for amending Census Act

Caste enumeration must adopt a scientific and legally protected approach — not just for accuracy, but to avoid political distortion and constitutional violations By   Telangana Today Published Date - 5 June 2025, 08:17 PM https://telanganatoday.com/opinion-caste-census-needs-legal-validity-case-for-amending-census-act By Dr Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao India is home to one of the most socially, culturally and economically diverse populations in the world — comprising Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), denotified tribes, semi-nomadic communities, pastoral groups, artisan castes, fisherfolk, forest-dwelling communities, and hundreds of region-specific backward classes. Also Read Editorial: Finally, green signal for caste census Opinion: Key messages of World Day of Social Justice In a nation of such layered identities, caste remains a deeply sensitive issue, closely tied to access, dignity and opportunity. It is not merely a political d...
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CASTE CENSUS: A clear signal

Acceding to the demand for caste census now is akin to BJP's earlier retreats in order to become acceptable to the Indian electorate. The present retreat is unlikely to be temporary Fading appeal? Sourced by the Telegraph Parakala Prabhakar Published 01.06.25, 06:42 AM When the noise is cancelled out, the signal is unmistakable: the unravelling of the Hindutva majoritarian dispensation is underway. The latest pointer to this is the Union government conceding to the demand for a caste census. This unambiguously signals secular, diverse and tolerant India shrugging off the toxic majoritarian creed that dominated it for more than a decade. It is the moment of truth for Hindutva’s understanding of India’s socioeconomic and political reality. The Hindutva episteme stands on two pillars. The first one is schismogenetic, an outgrowth of its adversarial relation to everything Islamic. V.D. Savarkar, its foremost ideologue, framed Hindutva as an outcome of the “year to year, decade to decad...
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CASTE CENSUS: Ensure Data Quality and Standardization

Nagaland’s Lesson : Census 2011’s tribal homogeneity simplified data collection, but non-tribal areas required careful handling. Nationally, SECC 2011’s inconsistent caste reporting underscores the need for standardization. Application to Caste Census : A caste census must produce reliable, actionable data, avoiding SECC’s pitfalls of unverified or duplicative caste entries. Strategies : Legal Framework : Amend the Census Act, 1948, to mandate caste enumeration and standardize categories, as recommended by experts and supported by the 2025 approval. Predefined Categories : Develop a national caste database in consultation with state governments and caste associations, building on Nagaland’s consultation with tribal bodies. Pilot Surveys : Test enumeration in diverse states (e.g., Bihar for caste complexity, Nagaland for tribal focus) to refine methods, mirroring Nagaland’s phased approach.
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CASTE CENSUS: A Lesson from Nagaland’s Successful Census 2011

By Nagesh Bhushan The Census 2011 in Nagaland stands as a model of effective data collection in a culturally unique and geographically challenging region, driven by robust community participation and strategic public awareness campaigns. With India’s government approving caste enumeration for the upcoming census—the first comprehensive caste count since 1931— Nagaland’s experience offers a blueprint for implementing a caste census nationwide.  Census 2011 in Nagaland: A Triumph of Community Engagement The Process Nagaland’s Census 2011, conducted in two phases—house listing (April–June 2010) and population enumeration (February–March 2011)—achieved remarkable success through community involvement. The state’s Directorate of Census Operations launched extensive pre-census awareness campaigns to educate its 1.98 million residents, 71% of whom live in rural areas. These campaigns were critical in a state dominated by Scheduled Tribes (STs, 86.5%) and characterized by linguistic divers...
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10 QUESTIONS FOR THE MODI GOVERNMENT : INDIA NEEDS ANSWERS

By Sanjay Jha The entire country and the whole Opposition backed the NDA government led by the BJP on whatever options it exercised following the brutal massacre of 26 people in #Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists on April 22, 2025. I have rarely seen such unanimous backing, cutting across partisan party lines and political preferences. #OperationSindoor commenced in the wee hours of May 7 2025,  but within three days a formal #ceasefire was abruptly announced wef 1700 pm IST between India and Pakistan on May 10, 2025.  As an ordinary citizen of my country, based on my conversations with many well-meaning and concerned people, I feel it is my responsibility to raise these questions. I am keeping it extremely succinct. 1) Why did US President Donald #Trump (ironically, someone who wants to capture #Canada and annex #Greenland) have to make the announcement of a cease-fire from our side on X ( Twitter) ? Has India surrendered its avowed commitment to the #ShimlaAgreement ...
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