The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census.

This demonstrates that the present government is committed to the holistic interests and values of the nation and society, said an official release.

Caste enumeration has been strongly demanded by several opposition parties, whereas the government so far was perceived not to be in favour of it.

As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, Census is a union subject listed at 69 in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule. While some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes, these surveys have varied in transparency and intent, with some conducted purely from a political angle, creating doubts in society. Considering all these circumstances, and to ensure that our social fabric does not come under political pressure, it has been decided that caste enumeration should be included in the main census instead of being conducted as a separate survey.

This will ensure that society becomes stronger economically and socially, and the country’s progress continues without hindrance. It is noteworthy that when a provision of 10 percent reservation was made for the economically weaker sections of society, it did not create tension in any section of society.

Caste was excluded from all census operations conducted since independence. In 2010, then Prime Minister Late Dr. Manmohan Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census would be considered in the Cabinet. A Group of Ministers was formed to deliberate on this subject, and most political parties recommended conducting a caste census. Despite this, the previous government opted for a survey instead of a caste census, known as the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), the release said.