New Delhi, October 8, 2025
NEW DELHI — India's long-debated caste census gained fresh urgency on Wednesday, with data collection accelerating across 15 states in a coordinated push toward the national rollout slated for 2026. The initiative, building on the Centre's April 30 approval to include caste enumeration in the upcoming decennial census for the first time since 1931, is set to reshape reservation policies and social welfare programs by providing granular data on caste demographics. Leading the charge is Karnataka, where the state government's recent directive granting Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Dalit converts to Buddhism is encouraging accurate self-reporting in the ongoing Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, potentially influencing how millions identify their caste and religion.
The national caste census, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marks a policy U-turn after decades of reluctance, driven by demands from opposition parties and regional allies for empirical backing to refine affirmative action quotas. Unlike previous censuses that tracked only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), this exercise will capture Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and other sub-castes, aiming to address "structural inequalities" long obscured by outdated 1931 data. Early pilots in states like Bihar — which released its findings in 2023 showing OBCs at 63% of the population — have fueled the momentum, with experts predicting the data could justify hikes in reservations beyond the 50% Supreme Court cap in high-density states.
Among the 15 states ramping up efforts are southern powerhouses Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which announced their surveys in 2024 and are now in advanced fieldwork stages, alongside Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha, and northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Karnataka's survey, launched on September 22 by the State Commission for Backward Classes, has reached 80% completion, covering 1.43 crore households with a focus on digital enumeration to ensure accuracy. Home Minister G. Parameshwara indicated a possible deadline extension to November, citing logistical challenges in rural areas, but hailed the progress as "a milestone for equitable governance." Similar accelerations are underway in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, where local commissions are integrating caste data with economic indicators to inform state-specific quotas.
Karnataka's integration of the caste census with its October 6 order on SC status for Buddhist converts stands out as a strategic move to boost participation and fidelity in reporting. The directive, issued by the Department of Social Welfare under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, allows individuals from the state's 101 SC communities who have converted to Buddhism to list "Buddhism" as their religion on SC certificates, school enrollments, and job applications, preserving access to 15% reservations in education and employment. Rooted in a 1990 Union government circular and reinforced by 2013 and 2016 guidelines, the policy clarifies ambiguities that previously deterred converts from declaring their faith, fearing loss of benefits.
This comes amid calls from Dalit Buddhist organizations, such as the Akhil Karnataka Buddha Dakhalati Andolana Samiti, urging Ambedkarite followers — estimated at over 10 lakh in the state — to register as "Buddhist" in the caste column during the survey. "By affirming our identity without penalty, the government is empowering us to stand tall in Ambedkar's legacy," said Samiti leader Prakash Ambedkar, referencing B.R. Ambedkar's 1956 mass conversion in Nagpur as a rejection of caste oppression. The order aligns with constitutional provisions under the Scheduled Castes Order, 1950, which extends SC protections to Buddhists (alongside Hindus and Sikhs), but excludes Christian and Muslim converts — a distinction upheld by the Supreme Court in a November 2024 ruling.
Nationally, the acceleration reflects broad public support: A May survey across 20 states found 62% of 38,400 respondents favoring a caste census, underscoring its potential to recalibrate vote shares and policy allocations. In Karnataka, where OBCs and SCs form over 70% of the population, the data could bolster demands for sub-categorization within reservations, similar to Tamil Nadu's recent 69% quota reinforcement. Critics, including BJP leaders, decry the state-led surveys as "politically motivated" and question their legal validity without Centre oversight, with Karnataka High Court petitions alleging procedural lapses.
As enumerators fan out with tablets for real-time data capture, the exercise — budgeted at Rs 12,000 crore nationally — promises to digitize India's social fabric. "This isn't just counting heads; it's counting histories," said sociologist Satish Deshpande, warning of challenges like underreporting among upper castes. With the national census notification expected by December, the 15 states' sprint could set precedents, ensuring the 2026 findings drive a more inclusive India — one caste at a time.
For More News Updates Follow Us On Www.tconews.in
