Ranchi, March 24 The Jharkhand government will conduct a caste survey in the state during the next financial year, state Revenue, Land Reforms, and Transport Minister Deepak Birua informed the Assembly on Monday.
Responding to a question from Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Yadav regarding the caste census, Birua said the state government is fully committed to conducting the survey. The Personnel and Administrative Department has been tasked with planning and overseeing the process, he said.
During the ongoing budget session of the Jharkhand Assembly, Yadav pointed out that the state cabinet had decided to conduct a caste survey on February 12, 2024. "It has been over a year since the decision, but no progress is visible. The government must clarify the status of the survey," he said.
He also noted that Telangana, which decided to conduct a caste survey after Jharkhand, had already released its report in February.
In his response, Birua acknowledged that caste census is the responsibility of the Central government but assured that the state government would initiate its own caste survey in the upcoming financial year. "The process of selecting the agency to conduct the survey is underway," he added.
Speaking to the media outside the House, Yadav emphasised the importance of a caste survey. "It is not just a census -- it acts as an X-ray and MRI of society. It reveals not only the number of castes but also their socio-economic status, which aids in formulating policies for the development of Dalits, backward classes, and minorities," he said.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress had promised to conduct a caste census in their manifestos before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the state cabinet had approved the decision to carry out the survey.
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