OBC groups seek mandatory caste coding in Census, warn against ‘unscientific’ enumeration
National conference demanded a unique code for every caste and separate Census columns for OBCs and General Category; leaders warn exercise could be infructuous
The central government was urged by the OBC community to make caste enumeration mandatory in the upcoming Census and assign a unique code to each caste. Without this approach, the Census would be considered unscientific and a waste of public funds, OBC leaders warned. The demand was made during a national OBC conference chaired by T. Chiranjeevulu, former IAS officer and chair of the Backwards Classes Intellectual Forum, and G. Kiran Kumar, president of the All India OBC Students Association.
The speakers insisted that separate columns should be created for OBCs and the general category, similar to those given to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. They cautioned that spending ₹12,800 crore on the Census without proper scientific planning would be a colossal mistake and could incite a nationwide movement if unaddressed.
Opposition parties have also expressed concerns over the proposed open-ended format for recording caste details, given the variations in caste names and sub-castes across the country.
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