Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Conduct Caste Wise Census From 2011. on 23 October, 2008
> Title : Need to conduct caste wise census from 2011.
PROF. M. RAMADASS (PONDICHERRY): Sir, I wish to draw the attention of the Government of India on a matter of public interest concerning the population of India. As you know, the population of India is not homogenous but characterized by a number of diversities. There are different groups of people, different communities, different castes, different religions, and we have a variety of groups in the country. We need to know their socioeconomic status and compare inter-temporally and intra-temporally the standards achieved by them. That is why in every population census since 1881, it was started by the Britishers that there should be a census of population on the basis of communities, groups, castes and religions. This continued up to 1931. For some mysterious reasons, this practice of enumerating the population of the country on the basis of the caste was abandoned. After that it was not resumed. But in the last 80 years, several developments have taken place which necessitate caste-wise census by the Government of India.
Recently when the Parliament passed the 27 per cent reservation, it was stayed by the Supreme Court. One of the reasons given by the Supreme Court was that we are giving 27 per cent reservation to OBC students in higher educational institutions but where is the data of the population of the OBC? On what basis you are fixing this 27 per cent? The Government of India could not provide a ready answer. They said that we rely upon the census of 1931 and we rely upon the Mandal Commission Report which extrapolates the population of 1931. But Supreme Court was not satisfied. Therefore, there is an immediate need, imperative need that the Government of India should go in for caste-census from the impending census operations. In 2011 the Government of India is going to start the census operations. We earnestly request that the caste-wise data should be collected. This data would help the Government in several ways. It will determine the proportion of reservation in jobs both in the private sector as well as in the public sector, and also in educational institutions. They resolve the issues of reservation amicably.
Distributive justice requires that each group should get its benefit from the Government in proportion to its population. The Government of India today is implementing a large number of measures of social justice. But this requires that the Government programmes, schemes and other things must be given to people in accordance with their proportion of population. But in the absence of data we are not able to do that. We should know the relative social and economic status of the people and this can be possible only with the help of the data. Therefore, today the implementation of polices, formulation of polices, depends upon the availability of concrete, accurate data with regard to the population. Therefore, my party Pattali Makkal Kachi urges upon the hon. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who is a socioeconomist, and also the Home Minister of India to instruct the Registrar General of India to conduct the impending census of 2011 on the basis of caste. It was in vogue until 1931. What we need to do is just include one column in the questionnaire. After religion, you ask what is your community or caste. That will solve all the problems. We will get the concrete and comprehensive data that is required for all policy matters.
Thank you very much.
MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER:
Shri Ram Kripal Yadav, Shri J.M. Aaron Rashid, Shri K. V. Thangkabalu, Dr. Karan Singh Yadav, Shri Madhusudan Mistry and Dr. R. Senthil associate themselves with Prof. M. Ramadass on this issue. SHRI KHARABELA SWAIN (BALASORE): Sir, it should also be determined as to who is backward in this country. Every year newer and newer castes want to become backward. Nobody wants to be forward. Everybody wants to be backward. It should be decided as to who is backward. MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Nothing will go on record. (Interruptions) * … (Not recorded) [KMR142] * Not recorded (q4/1920/spr-rps) MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Please sit down, nothing is going on record. … (Interruptions)
MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: The Government would decide that. … (Interruptions)