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Caste census pressure is growing. Leaving aside the sensitive side of the issue, the caste census exercise is a justified academic exercise for the faculty a humanities. It is they who should have done it as a part of their research activity. In fact, there were many theses/dissertations with the title “ Socio-Economic Status of……” –of different social groups in different regions. Surprising why these theses have not simultaneously conducted caste census? (Stand for correction if some have done it. But overall that would be an incomplete exercise). More importantly, the Government could have done a caste census simultaneously with the population enumeration/census which is done every ten years. The last census was in 2011 and the subsequent one was apparently could not be completed because of Covid and General elections. So, this time it can be combined with the general population census, and in the future this can be made as a policy -doing every ten years.
One should understand that after the caste census is done, it is simply not possible to create as many divisions in the reservation system/ policy. Because India as a whole is supposed to have 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes. Apparently, they have to be broadly grouped into a small number of divisions.
Were really people/leaders not aware of the demographics of different states and the country? Social taxonomy is an age-old subject. Caste census pressure is growing as some states believe that the present cap of 50% can be /will have to be raised. In this context, it appears people have not realized that this cap is applicable only for center and not for states. States on their own can raise the cap by 50%.
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