Caste census as per members' suggestions: Pranab

NEW DELHI: With members voicing concerns over the format of caste census, the government today assured the Lok Sabha that the exercise would be carried out as per the suggestions made by members.

"There have been problems at the implementation level. They will be sorted out. We will look into it so that it is implemented in the same format (as suggested by NDA convenor Sharad Yadav)," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.

Admitting problems in the implementation of the caste census, Mukherjee assured members that government would address the shortcomings.

He said the format suggested by Yadav had been forwarded to the Home Ministry and the government would look into it to ensure that it is implemented in the same format.

As soon as the House met for the day, Yadav raised the issue of caste census accusing the government of going back on its word on carrying out the exercise.

"We had decided unanimously to conduct the caste census, but the government has divided it into three parts -- one to be carried out by the state government, by the Rural Development Ministry and by the Urban Development Ministry," the JD(U) chief said.

He said it was the mandate of the Census Commissioner to carry out the caste census and trifurcation of the entire exercise would lead nowhere.