Rajasthan government issues order for conducting caste survey

• Image Credit: Google

• Oct 8, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The order was approved by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment after receiving the state cabinet's nod...

Digital Desk: The Rajasthan government issued an order to conduct a caste survey in the state, becoming the second state in the country to undertake such a population count. This decision follows closely on the heels of Bihar's release of its caste survey findings and ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Rajasthan scheduled for later this year.

The order was approved by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment after receiving the state cabinet's nod. According to the directive, the Rajasthan government will utilize its own resources to gather data related to the social, economic, and educational status of its citizens.

The Department of Planning (Economic and Statistics) has been designated as the nodal department for overseeing the survey. However, the order does not specify a timeline for conducting the population count. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told reporters that an order would be issued in this regard.

On October 2, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, the Bihar government, led by Nitish Kumar, unveiled the findings of its eagerly awaited caste survey. The results revealed that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) together constituted a substantial 63 percent of the state's total population.

The call for a nationwide caste census has gained traction within the opposition INDIA bloc, which believes that such data would bolster their prospects in the forthcoming elections in the Hindi heartland, where caste-based politics holds considerable sway. The Congress, which governs Rajasthan, is a part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc and is also part of the ruling coalition in Bihar.