KEY POINTS
- Caste census to be part of national survey.
- Vaishnaw slams Congress for past opposition.
- Non-transparent surveys in Congress states criticized.
In a major decision, the central government has announced that the upcoming national census will include caste-based data. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared this update during a Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday. He said the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided to include caste enumeration in the main census.
The minister explained that this move is important to gather accurate data about different castes across the country. He said most political parties had supported the idea of a caste census in the past. However, he strongly criticised the Congress party for opposing it earlier.
Ashwini Vaishnaw reminded everyone that in 2010, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had said the issue should be discussed in the Cabinet. A group of ministers was formed, but no proper decision was made at that time.
He also accused Congress and its INDI alliance partners of using caste surveys for political gains. Referring to caste surveys in Telangana and Karnataka, he said they were done in an unfair and non-transparent way. Vaishnaw added that these kinds of surveys caused confusion and doubts in society.
He said the central government wants to protect the unity of the country by including caste data in a proper and national-level census.
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