A different approach to the caste census, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• The Union Government has decided to conduct caste enumeration in the upcoming national Census, a subject under Article 246 of the Constitution.
• Bihar (2023) and Telangana (2025) caste surveys revealed that OBCs form a majority (63% in Bihar; 56.33% in Telangana), but remain underrepresented in education and governance.
• Only 4% of professors and 6% of associate professors in Central Universities are OBCs, despite reservation laws.
• India’s last comprehensive caste census was in 1931; the 2011 SECC data was deemed unusable due to inconsistencies.
• The social management approach advocates using caste data as a developmental tool to shape targeted welfare policies.
• Global democracies like the U.S., South Africa, and Brazil use race/ethnicity data to design equity-based interventions.
• A caste census enhances democratic accountability, enabling scrutiny of resource allocation and policy impact.

Detailed Insights:

• The absence of reliable and updated caste data has weakened the foundation of affirmative action and welfare targeting in India.
• State-level caste surveys reveal that marginalised communities form the numerical majority, yet remain politically and economically disadvantaged.
• Welfare models based only on income or geography fail to capture the layered nature of social inequality shaped by caste.
• A social management approach treats caste as a developmental variable, allowing for need-based policy formulation and better resource allocation.
• Public policies can be recalibrated using caste-disaggregated data to close gaps in healthcare, education, and infrastructure access.
• Institutions can be audited for diversity and inclusion, revealing caste-wise distribution of power and representation.
• Transparency in caste-based data allows civil society and media to hold governments accountable for equity in policy outcomes.
• Global democratic practices affirm that collecting identity-based data helps dismantle structural inequality rather than reinforce it.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Article 246, 7th Schedule: Places Census under the Union List.
• Affirmative Action: Policy tools like reservations designed to correct historic social and educational backwardness.
• Intersectionality: Analytical framework that identifies how different systems of oppression (like caste and gender) interact and intensify marginalisation.

Mains Mock Question:
Critically examine the relevance of a caste-based census in contemporary India. How can it support a shift from welfare delivery to a social management approach in governance?