Patna (Bihar): Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on Friday said that if the need arises the Bihar government will bring a law on caste census. "The caste census was being conducted in Bihar in the public interest. We were working on a census to find out those who were economically backward. So, the census in the state was good for those who were economically backward as well as those belonging to the upper caste. It was part of our policy decision. Like the state government, the Central government also conducts a census," said Chaudhary.
Elaborating further, Chaudhary said, "For the identification purpose, the census was necessary. Even the Central government conducts a census. So, in this survey, we were working on caste or economic census. We were trying to procure necessary information for the benefit of the public at large. It was being done in favour of the people and it (census) was supposed to play an important role in policy decisions. So, I failed to understand why this census was stopped. Even then we are hopeful that the Supreme Court will look into the matter and give us an opportunity to complete the task."
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On bringing legislation to the Bihar assembly, the minister said, "Whatever is required, we will work in that direction. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was keen on working on the project. "The Patna High Court had issued an interim order putting a stay on the caste-based census in Bihar. The court ordered the State government to stop conducting caste-based census immediately. Meanwhile, the Bihar government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking direction on the caste-based census in the state on Thursday.
