Maharashtra to send committee to study ‘Bihar pattern’ of caste-based census

Mumbai: In response to the demand for a caste-based census in Maharashtra, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced in the legislative council that the state government will send a committee to study the Bihar pattern of the caste-based census. As of now, Bihar is the only state in India which has started a caste-based census.

The census is being demanded to provide valuable information on the socio-economic status of different caste groups in the country and also help tailor the reservation policy to ensure equitable representation for all.

Janata Dal (United) MLC Kapil Patil had raised the question of the caste-based census in the legislative council and demanded to conduct the same in Maharashtra on the lines of Bihar. Patil claimed that such a census would determine the population of not just OBC’s in the state, but the government will get data on the population of all communities in Maharashtra.

Replying to the question, Fadnavis clarified that the government has no in-principle opposition to the caste-based census. He added that one has to be very careful while doing such a census because it can create conflict between various castes.

“While undertaking such a census in the state, surveyors cannot ask for caste certificates from the people. The registration for the census will be based on the caste people declare at the time of the survey. It can also lead to various discrepancies. As of now, only Bihar is doing such a census. So, the state government will send a committee to Bihar in order to study their experience. Based on the outcome, the state government will take the final decision on conducting the census in Maharashtra.” said Fadnavis in the council.

The deputy CM also added that the Centre had done the 2011 census and it was the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), but the data was never made public as it has several issues. “During the process for Maratha reservation, I had sought the data of SECC but found it incorrect. For example, Ahmednagar which has a large population of Maratha community was shown with just 14% of them living there and in Nandurbar, which is a tribal district population, the Maratha community was shown as 28%. Wrong data would lead to a social crisis as every community will take objection to the population percentage of their community. So, a well-researched method of the caste-based census is essential. So, if the Bihar model succeeds then we can think of it in our state,” Fadnavis said.