Nitish earmarks 500 crore for caste-head count, triggers 'mixed' response

Understanding the caste-based census in Bihar: Is it for political gain or meant to provide relief for the deprived? Finds out ETV Bharat's Bureau Chief Amit Bhelari.

Patna:With the decision of conducting its own caste-based census in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has marked his name in the history of the state by becoming the first CM to take such a progressive step. However, the question arises that how important is the caste-based census in Bihar as though several people have started raising questions about putting an extra financial burden on the poor state.

The state cabinet has approved Rs 500 crore for the caste-based census and promised to complete it by Feb 2023. People are inquisitive to know whether the caste-based census is the need of the hour whether it will put a financial burden on the state exchequer or if it is just a mere political gimmick. ETV Bharat spoke to different sections of people to understand the pros and cons of the caste-head count in Bihar.

In the words of the Bihar CM who has taken the decision, a caste-based census will provide comprehensive data to the policymakers to frame better policies for the groups who are deprived of welfare schemes or reservations. Soon after the announcement, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Rakesh Sinha raised his strong objection to the census claiming that it will create a division in the society and would also increase the feeling of hatred and casteism.

To prove his point even BJP state unit president Sanjay Jaiswal said that it is not a census as only the Central government has the right to conduct any census. Jaiswal stressed it should be just a calculation or survey, not a census. Countering the view, Dr. Bakshi AmitKumar Sinha, who is a faculty member at the Centre for Economic Policy and Public Finance (CEPPF), at the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), Patna backs the Bihar government.

“The dimension and the data of this census would be broader than the previous census. All the data with details would be collected individually. It has several positive aspects. Being a state-specific census, we do not have any data on migration and this census would have even those numbers with detailed information. Many people are staying in other states but we do not have any specific data. We must require authentic data for the policymakers, government, and researchers and for everyone. It will also help one nation with one ration card scheme,” Dr. Bakshi said.

He further added, “One must understand that there would not be any changes in the reservation policy through this census but the diagnosis will surely take place and course correction will commence. As per the Constitution, even the reservation is provided on the basis of socio, economic and educational conditions. So, once the data is out, there would be a debate. Today's world is data-driven and not only in Bihar but in India we do not have much data on several dimensions. First and foremost once the data would be available, a decision could be taken for the deprived people. So from this point of view, the expenditure of Rs 500 crore is fruitful. Based on the data several other research can take place in other dimensions as well. This data will reflect the recent development in Bihar on different strata and caste groups.”

Dr. Vidyarthi Vikas- Assistant Professor at A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies - Economic Wings goes one step further and opined that an additional fund of Rs 500 crore should be kept ready by the state government to complete the census task.

“An additional fund of Rs 500 crore should be kept in reserve so that the caste-based census could be conducted and completed in the right manner. Without the data and figures, no research work could be executed. Whenever any research takes place or a project is made we require figures and data. We must focus on the marginalized groups who are left out of the welfare scheme. We must find out which caste has no representation in government jobs. Many times we find that not even basic needs are provided to certain people in the field of education and health.

During a recent survey in Samastipur district, it was found that only 10 children passed out of high school in the population of 3000. In the last 70 years, if development has not reached a certain section of the society then it is a matter of great concern, and a caste-based census is a must. It is essential for India's entire policy-making and we need data which is not outdated and must focus on those people who deserve better assistance,” Vikas asserted.

However, another Patna-based political expert Dr. Sanjay Kumar has a different take on it and claimed that a caste-based census is just a gimmick to make political gains. “If the caste-based census was so informative why didn't it get success in Karnataka. Why was the data never brought into the public domain? It proves that the caste-based census in Karnataka was not in favor of the government so it never got published. It is just for political gain and in the words of politicians, it is Jiski Jitni Bhagidari, Uski Utni Hissedari(The bigger their number, the greater their share) in power. The caste census was conducted in 1931 and at that time the OBC was 52 %. If the OBC number would come down to 40 % then it would never be published and if the number would increase to 62%, the politicians will start making noise for more reservations,” Dr. Sanjay said.

He further said, “The Rs 500 crore should be spent on the education and health sector. It should be spent on creating empowerment and job opportunities. Instead of creating employment, the government is wasting money on the caste-based census to polarise the vote bank. Bihari's are killed in Kashmir, in Maharashtra, our people are humiliated, and large migration is taking place. The recruitment of teachers is not happening because the government does not fund to pay their salaries. On one hand, you don't have money for the salary and on the other hand, you are spending Rs 500 crore to achieve the political goals.”

Only time will tell whether a caste-based census is for political gains or is meant to provide relief to the downtrodden and deprived people. It would be interesting to see the outcome of the census once it is completed by next year.