Implications of Caste-Census

What is the issue?

With 2021 census approaching, the debate around having caste-based census has come up.
It is essential to understand the implications that caste statistics would have in the country.

What was caste census's role in colonial times?

Census of 1931 provides, to date, any information regarding the size and characteristics of various castes in India.
Colonial Censuses, beginning with the first Census in 1871, included questions about caste.
This generated an idea of homogeneous and classifiable community.
It was used to divide and conquer India.
This was done by first privileging Brahmins as interpreters of Indian culture.
Slowly they were targeted as the roots of caste-based oppression and inequality.
This classification was also a source of anti-Brahmin movements of 20th century.
It thereby influenced the processes of political representation.

How does caste census impact society?

Society - There are apprehensions that caste based census would further promote:

Post-Independence Censuses have thus shied away from including questions about caste.
However, Patels, Gujjars, Jats and Marathas do not seem to care about the lack of Census data as they demand reservations.
Also, even without caste census, caste does play a role in elections in terms of vote banks.

Does caste census play a role in economy?

Caste data from 1931 Census and a few special purpose surveys define certain categories.
They include Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs and upper castes.
It is assumed these broad caste-based social categories continue to shape economic conditions in 21st century India.
However, each of these categories consists of thousands of jatis (castes) and upjatis (subcastes).
Hence, without accurate data for each of these, the claim that it shapes economic conditions is baseless.
Also, the society and economy, since 1931 census, has undergone various changes, crossing these caste boundaries.

What are the transformations since 1931?

Land - Land ownership that perpetuated the power of upper castes has lost its hold.
Land fragmentation and agricultural stagnation have turned many upper caste landowners into marginal farmers.
Besides, rising rural wages, particularly construction wages, has made the landless better.
Poverty - Broadly, mean consumption expenditure of forward castes is higher than that of Dalits.
However, clusters of poverty persist among forward castes also, as per National Sample Survey (NSS).
The bottom fourth of forward castes are poorer than the top half of Dalits.
Education - India Human Development Survey shows that 56% of Dalit children aged 8-11 cannot read.
But this is also the case with 32% of forward caste and 47% of OBC children.
Overall, some jatis have managed to pull themselves out of poverty and marginalisation.
While other groups have had a deterioration in their status.

What is the need for caste census?

Economic growth and affirmative action by governments have changed relative fortunes of various groups.
Hence, it is time to collect data that reflects the current situation.
So the social apprehensions on implications of caste census are largely invalid.
Without caste data, the discourse on caste and affirmative action are dominated by decisions made by the colonial administration.
Collecting data on caste is now essential to rationalise the reservation policies.

Challenges - Sometimes the same caste is spelt in different ways, or individuals report their jati and others upjati.
This makes it difficult to create mutually exclusive categories.

What could the methodology be?

There is nearly three years' time before the Census of 2021.
Data from Socio-Economic Caste Census and technologies rooted in machine learning are at disposal.
It would be possible to set up an expert group that uses the SECC data in conjunction with other data sources.
Comprehensive list of castes can be made and condensed into meaningful categories via machine learning tools.
These categories could then be validated by domain experts in various States.
It can then be used to make a district specific list of castes that would cover more than 90% of individuals in any given district.
Respondents can then be allowed to self-identify from the precoded list.
The residual group’s responses recorded verbatim could be categorised later.
This is very similar to the technique through which occupational and industrial classification systems are created.

Source: The Hindu