Caste census must for welfare of disadvantaged sections: BC commission chief

Karimnagar: The Telangana Assembly unanimously passed a resolution recently, urging the central government to conduct a caste-wise census of the backward communities’ population as part of the 2021 General Census. Telangana is the fifth Indian state after Odisha, Bihar, Maharashtra and Jharkhand to have passed a resolution seeking caste census.

Deccan Chronicle sought to know the views of the state BC commission on this issue in a short interview with its present chairman and seasoned member for repeated terms, Dr Vakulabharanam Krishnamohan Rao

Q. Would you tell us about the mandate of the present state BC commission? Is it political in nature?

The present BC commission is the second after formation of the Telangana state and it has a three-year-term as mandated by Act 20 of 1993. Any commission is, by default, an independent body with quasi-judicial powers and will examine matters referred to it by the state government from time to time. It is purely apolitical in nature.

Q. What is the need for a caste census?

This is necessary for an equal and equitable distribution of resources in a given political and social mileu to prevent building up of social tensions. Without a caste census, it is impossible for governments to make a social, educational and economic policy framework, which will otherwise have to depend on imaginary or presumed figures.

Q. What are the benefits of caste census?

The Supreme Court and the high courts have recommended caste census to generate data on the exact sizes of population, caste-wise, in order to formulate better policies and schemes for the welfare of the Backward Classes and other disadvantaged sections. A caste-based census will help facilitate their uplift and ensure justice to them in various fields. Notably, political parties across the country have sought a caste census.

Q. Does it have more to do with attempts at political appeasement?

No, rather it will facilitate political emancipation in line with provision of the Indian Constitution. The demands may be political, but it enables political empowerment by way of providing equal opportunities to the unrepresented and voiceless castes and communities.

Q. What are the obstacles in the way of holding a caste census?

Caste census is in the purview of the central government but the caste-based enumeration or survey is in the hands of the states. The UPA government included caste census in the category of SECC of 2011. In 2018, the then Union home minister Rajnath Singh reiterated that this would be included in the 2021 General Population Census. But the BJP government is now going back on its promise, citing issues of ‘administrative inconvenience’.

Q. How do you look at the present debate on caste census?

The argument of the BJP before the Supreme Court, citing ‘administrative inconvenience’, is silly and unacceptable. Apart from that, the BJP is not willing to disclose or share the SECC-2011 data on caste, saying it is classified information.

Q. The BJP says courts are not allowing the government to release details of caste census.

It’s often a mistaken impression that the courts don’t allow uncapping of these details. In fact, courts never stated so. If one goes through these judgments carefully, the courts have insisted on having caste enumeration once every ten years for a review of the scene past the Indira Sawhney judgments. The BJP-led government at the Centre, for reasons best known to it, is not willing to include caste-related questions in the 2021 Census.

Q. What steps the BC Commission plans to take regarding the caste census in the state?

As directed by the courts, quantifiable and justifiable data collection with accurate tools is the order of the day. A reliable and usable set of data has become key evidence for any review. We will build a strong methodology to begin with, taking into account the experiences of other states and in consultation with social and developmental anthropologists and social surveyors and statisticians that would withstand any scrutiny of law or other institutions.