New Delhi: Facing a political backlash for "holding back" caste census data ahead of Bihar elections, government on Monday set up an expert group to collate caste count putting the blame on states for delay in completing categories consolidation of castes.
The expert group will be headed by NITI Ayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya.
The decision taken in a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also apparently aimed at warding off the criticism that BJP was not willing to release the caste data figures due to electoral reasons.
The government has been criticised by parties, including Samajwadi Party, JD(U), RJD and DMK for refraining from releasing the caste-based data in its first Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC). The SECC data released on July 3 is first after 1912.
Brushing aside suggestions that the government avoided giving the caste count in the survey report due to political reasons ahead of Bihar polls, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that it will be good if states, which are "politicising" it, send their recommendations of caste consolidation at the earliest.
Sources in the government said that when field survey for the 2011 census was completed, it was found that about 8.19 crore data was defective. Centre communicated it to states, which rectified almost 6,73 crores of it. Around 1.45 crore defective data are yet to rectifed, the sources said. This will take some more time.
At the Cabinet briefing, Jaitley said that the caste enumeration conducted by the Registrar General of India has thrown up 46 lakh categories of caste/sub-caste names, synonyms, surnames, clans, gothra names, which the states will have to consolidate before the expert group begins its work.
Though the data was sent to states for consolidation eight-nine months ago, most of them are yet to come out with a response on it, he said.
He said the government is keen to release the caste data at the earliest as soon as the states send the details because the committee headed by Panagariya will only then be able to classify it.
"It will be good that states, which are politicising it, send their caste consolidation recommendation at the earliest. They cannot hold back the recommendation and then say you please release it," he said, adding so far most of the states have not been able to send the caste consolidation details.
Asked how much of consolidation details have been sent by Bihar, Jaitley said they were "minimal". The government could face a united opposition attack in the Monsoon Session of Parliament on the issue with parties like Congress, CPI(M), DMK, SP, RJD and JD(U) closing ranks and accusing the government of "holding back" caste data.
Comments
0 comment