Caste to be counted in census, confirms union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

In a significant policy move, the central government has decided to include caste-based data collection in the next national census. The announcement was made on Wednesday, as reported by ANI.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, “The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided today that caste enumeration should be included in the forthcoming census.” However, he did not specify when the census would begin.

Vaishnaw emphasized that the census is a central subject, indicating that only the Union government has the constitutional authority to conduct it. He also noted that while some state governments have carried out caste-based surveys, these were not officially part of the national census framework.

The inclusion of caste in the official census is expected to have major political and policy implications, particularly in the context of welfare distribution and affirmative action planning.