There are many big differences in caste survey and caste census.
The Modi government has approved the census. Caste census will also be a part of this. The last full caste census in the country took place in 1931. Census was done in the year 1941 but its figures were not kept in front. At the same time, only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were included in the caste census held in 1951. Now there will be caste census again. The general census in India began in 1872 from the British era. This was the last time in 2011. According to the rule, it was to be held in 2021, but this could not happen due to Kovid.
Now with the announcement of the census, it has also been said to conduct caste census. However, caste survey has been done in the country. Caste survey in Bihar and Telangana is the latest example of this. Know what is the difference between caste census and caste survey.
Understand the difference between caste census and caste survey
The difference between caste census and caste survey is made on the basis of legal status, its methods and authority. Caste census is part of the national census. At the same time, caste survey is done at the state level. The work of doing caste census is done by the Central Government and there is a law for this. At the same time, caste survey conducts state government or independent agencies.
The Census Act is 1948 for the census. This Act gives strength to the central government that it can only be done by the national census and can change the guidelines related to it. This does not happen in caste survey. There is no provision regarding this in the Sensus Act. The cast survey is according to the state government guideline.
Caste census is conducted at the national level but the cast survey is limited to a state or a small part. The data of caste census is kept confidential, but the data of cast survey is dependent on the state government’s guidelines and security law.
How to remain caste survey of states?
- Caste survey of Bihar: In October 2023, a caste survey was released in Bihar. 214 castes were included in the survey. In this, 22 of Scheduled Castes (SC), 32 of Scheduled Tribes (ST), 30 of Backward Class (BC), 113 of extremely backward class (EBC) and 7 castes of general class were made part. The survey says that the state has a population of 13 crore and 63.14% of it belongs to the OBC (BC + EBC) category. Bihar has 94 lakh poor families. Only 6.47% of the people here are graduates. These include 14.54% of general category, 4.44% in EBC, 3.12% in SC and 3.53% in ST.
- Cast Survey of Karnataka: In 2014, the then Siddaramaiah government conducted a caste survey in Karnataka. It was named Social and Economic Survey, but the government did not make this report public, but some things came out. Due to this, suddenly more than 192 new castes came to light in Karnataka. According to the report, there was a huge increase in the number of OBCs, while the number of people from major communities like Lingayat and Vokkaliga decreased. After this, there was never a caste survey in Karnataka.
- Telangana’s ethnic survey: In this survey conducted in February 2025, the population of the state was stated to be 3.70. The report says, except Muslim minorities, the backward class share is 46.25 percent. This was followed by Scheduled Castes (17.43%), Scheduled Tribes (10.45%), Muslim Backward Classes (10.08%) and other castes (13.31%).
Also read: How much benefit from caste census-loss, what arguments were counted in the opposition?