Caste enumeration to be a part of next census, announces Centre

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided to include caste enumeration in forthcoming census exercise.

New Delhi, April 30, 2025

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced on April 30, 2025, that the Union Cabinet has made a decision to incorporate caste enumeration as part of the upcoming census. This decision was made public during a briefing with the media, where the Minister provided an overview of the Union Cabinet’s recent decisions.

“Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided to include caste enumeration in forthcoming census exercise,” Vaishnav announced.

‘Congress has always opposed caste census…’

He also criticized the Congress and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties. He alleged that they have utilized the caste census as a means of advancing their political agendas.

“Congress governments have always opposed caste census. Caste was not included in all the census operations conducted since Independence,” he stated.

“In 2010, then Prime Minister late Manmohan Singh ji had assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census should be considered in the Cabinet. A Group of Ministers was formed to consider this subject. Most of the political parties had recommended caste census. Despite this, Congress government decided to conduct merely a survey of caste instead of a caste census. That survey is known as SECC,” he continued.

‘Some states have conducted surveys in a non-transparent way’

He took a jab at the Congress, pointing at the surveys in the opposition ruled Telangana and Karnataka. He said that some states have conducted surveys in “a non-transparent way.”

“It is well understood that Congress and its INDI alliance partners have used the caste census as a political tool. The subject of census is mentioned at serial number 69 of the Union List of Article 246 of the Constitution and it is a subject of the Center. Some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes. While some states have done this well, some others conducted such surveys only from a political angle in a non-transparent way,” he added.

He claimed that the decision will strengthen the social and economic structure of our society.

“To ensure that our social fabric is not disturbed by politics, caste enumeration should be transparently included in the Census instead of surveys. This will strengthen the social and economic structure of our society, while the nation continues to progress,” he stated.

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