Centre decides to conduct caste census; Maharashtra leaders welcome decision

In a major decision the government on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise in a transparent mannerAnnouncing the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveysHe alleged that the states ruled by Opposition parties have conducted the caste surveys for political reasons and added that it is the Narendra Modi governments resolve to transparently include caste enumeration in the forthcoming panIndia census exercise news agency PTI reportedThe census exercise was to commence in April 2020 but got delayed due to the Covid pandemicMeanwhile the leaders in Maharashtra cutting across party lines have welcomed the Centrersquos decision on conducting the caste censusMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday hailed the Centrersquos decision and called it a historic milestone in the countrys journey towards social justice that will help in equitable distribution of resourcesAddressing a press conference in Thane Shinde said The caste census will usher in a new era of social justice by enabling accurate policymaking based on the actual demographic data of different castesHe likened the decision to the Modi governments some other key steps such as the abrogation of Article 370Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modis bold and inclusive leadership he said it was one of the most courageous decisions taken by the government since independenceAjit Pawar who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in a post on social media platform X expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and wrote ldquoThe decision of the Central Government to conduct a castewise census is very welcome and will help all sections of society to get their just rights The government will be able to provide more funds for the development of socially weak deprived and marginalized sections This will help in raising the educational and economic level of backward sections of society and the goal of establishing social equality can be achieved more quicklyrdquo hellipmdash Ajit Pawar AjitPawarSpeaks April 30 2025Meanwhile Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday described the Central governments decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census as a golden and historic day for the country reported PTIHe alleged that the Congress never considered conducting a castebased census when it was in power for decadesNationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar Spokesperson Pravin Kunte Patil claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP had always opposed the caste census however the latest Uturn symbolises the victory of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance INDIA blocWe support the governments decision NCP SP will ensure that this decision does not become an election jumla he addedNCP SP legislator Jayant Patil has also welcomed the decision and said that his party has been demanding a castewise census for the past several years ldquoI am confident that a castewise census will further strengthen the idea of equality in our countryrdquo he wrote on X hellipmdash Jayant Patil Jayant_R_Patil April 30 2025Another NCP SP legislator Jitendra Awhad has termed the decision the Oppositionrsquos victory ldquoThe government has finally given up There will be a castewise census This is a victory for the pressure exerted by the opposition The Central government had to retreat in the face of the struggle waged by many activists like us The greater the number the greater the responsibilityrdquo he stated in a post on X mdash DrJitendra Awhad Awhadspeaks April 30 2025With PTI inputsatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params