The Nitish Kumar govt revived Bihar's Savarna Ayog ahead of assembly elections. It's a 'ray of hope' for caste groups mobilising ahead of the ambitious all-India caste census.
This census will map both the numbers and the incomes of various caste groups. Thereby providing a basis for those who call to exclude the 'creamy layer' from SC/ST reservation.
Once the results of the first digital census start appearing, about 16 months from now, they will open a Pandora’s Box of multiple divides and discontents.
Without accurate enumeration, policy remains incomplete and India continues to make millions of its own citizens disappear, not by neglect, but by design.
Alok Kumar claimed there was a campaign asking certain sections like Lingayats, SCs and STs to not identify themselves as Hindus. In 2011, 82 faiths identified themselves as 'Other'.
The 2011 census recorded only around 2.68 million individuals as persons with disabilities in India, far lower than WHO’s report, which indicates 16 per cent of the global population lives with some form of disability.
Census notification came hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired high-level meeting. Houselisting Operation will be carried out in first phase of the exercise.
This special edition of Cut The Clutter, straight from the Siliguri corridor, details the strategic importance of the narrow strip of land in West Bengal, and how it’s a vital link connecting the Northeast to the rest of India.
We now live in a world order that will keep shifting. India must use this window. This also means we remain disciplined enough not to be knee-jerked into reacting to what Pakistan sees as its moment in the sun.
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