New Delhi. The Central Government has taken an important decision to include caste calculations in the upcoming census. The Cabinet Committee of political subjects led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved it today.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave this information in a press conference held at the National Media Center on Wednesday. He said that the government has taken this decision keeping in mind social balance, transparency and national interest. We believe that this step will be economically and socially strong.
Vaishnav alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties are making caste census an issue for political gains. He clarified that the Central List of Article 246 of the Constitution is the subject of the census center under serial number 69. Nevertheless, many states have done caste calculations. Some of them took transparency while others made it a medium of politics, which led to confusion in the society.
The minister said in his statement that caste data has not been included in all census since independence. Congress governments repeatedly opposed this idea, while in 2010, despite the then Prime Minister assured in the Lok Sabha, it was limited as a survey. At that time a cabinet group was formed in the cabinet. The group had expressed its support on caste calculations by many parties. Still it was not included in the census.
He also reminded that the government had earlier provided 10 percent reservation to the economically weaker sections keeping in mind social sensitivity.