New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry (MHA) on Wednesday said that the Government of India has not enumerated population caste-wise other than SCs and STs in the census since Independence. Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai admits that Bihar, Maharashtra, and Odisha have requested the Central government to collect castes' details in the forthcoming Census.
"The State governments of Bihar, Maharashtra, and Odisha have requested to collect castes details in the forthcoming Census," said Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in the Parliament.
The Home Ministry has said that Census 2021 will be conducted with a mixed-mode approach. Rai reiterated that the Census activities had been postponed due to the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic.
"The intent of the government for conducting Census 2021 was notified in Gazette of India in March 2019. The forthcoming Census is to be the first digital Census. Mobile app for collection of data and a Census portal for management and monitoring of various Census-related activities have been developed," Rai said.
In Census, the castes and tribes which are specificity notified as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950
and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, are enumerated.
Nityanand Rai said that the names of mother tongue and two other languages known in order of proficiency are to be recorded by the enumerator in the forthcoming Census as responded by each person.
Political leaders including Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have appealed for a caste-based Census.
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