HYDERABAD: The Union government has decided to conduct a caste census as part of the national population enumeration. The decision was taken during the Union Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed the move during a press briefing, stating that the caste census will be integrated into the regular census process.
The population census is likely to commence in September this year and will take approximately one year to complete. Consequently, the final data from the census, including caste-related statistics, is expected to be available by the end of 2026 or early 2027. However, the government has not yet announced an official date for the commencement of the census.
The last scheduled census in 2021 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, the national census in India is conducted every ten years.
Political stance on caste census
Several opposition parties, including the Congress, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), have long advocated for a nationwide caste census. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has yet to make its position clear. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently voiced support for the caste census during a visit to the United States.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which had earlier opposed the idea, had criticised opposition parties for allegedly attempting to divide the country along caste lines. However, the BJP extended its support to the caste-based census in Bihar, where such data was released in October 2023. Bihar thus became the first state in India to publish caste census data.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw pointed out that no caste census had been conducted since 1947. He said previous Congress governments had consistently opposed the idea. He also recalled that in 2010, the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had suggested the matter should be discussed at the Cabinet level. A group of ministers was formed to study the issue, and most political parties had recommended conducting a caste census. Nonetheless, the Congress-led government did not proceed with the exercise.
Vaishnaw said it is evident that Congress and its allies have used the issue of caste census merely as a political tool. He alleged that while some states conducted caste-based surveys in a transparent and constructive manner, others did so with political motives, leading to public scepticism and societal tension. To preserve social harmony, he asserted, caste enumeration should be part of the official census rather than being carried out through isolated surveys.
He also cited Article 246 of the Indian Constitution, under which census falls under Entry 69 of the Union List in the Seventh Schedule, making it a subject under the exclusive jurisdiction of the central government. While some states have taken up caste-based surveys independently, the methods and transparency levels have varied significantly.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister @narendramodi, the #Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided today that Caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census. This demonstrates that the government is committed to the values and interests of the society… pic.twitter.com/kghauMqR1h
— PIB India (@PIB_India) April 30, 2025
