Census 2024: Counting more than just heads; will caste data stir the pot?

Buzz around Census 2024 is growing, with the announcement of its commencement expected soon. This heightened public interest is justified. The census is a key source of benchmark data and the only one of its kind. Every other key survey, such as NHFS or those conducted by NSSO, uses it as the bedrock to structure samples. Conducted every 10 years, census data guides budget allocations, resource distribution, political delimitation, representation, and planning. Initially delayed by the Covid pandemic, 2021 marks the first time in 150 years that the decennial exercise was postponed.

Beyond the rich dataset it will generate, what makes this census politically critical this time around is the rising demand for a caste census alongside the population count. Previous censuses have only published data on SCs and STs, besides the general category. The first census to include caste data was in 1881, the next in 2011. But this data was not published. Demand now is to include Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Two opposing views have emerged. One suggests that gathering data on economic status and other caste-related information of families will help authorities define deprivation indicators and map inequalities at a broader level. Critics say a caste-based census may give rise to the demand for more reservations in jobs and educational institutions, and could entrench identity-based divisions.

Blaming caste enumeration for deepening divisions misses the point. It should be seen for what it is: the advantage of having concrete data in a diverse landscape, and competing interest groups with differing aspirations and grievances. As long as caste plays a role in society - and like it or not, it does - such data isn't just helpful, it's essential.