As the Centre announced a new caste census, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) chairperson Hansraj Ahir has raised questions over how the 2011 socio-economic caste census (SECC) was conducted. A former Union minister, Ahir’s comments are significant as he heads NCBC, which safeguards the rights of socially and economically backward classes (SEBC), looks into complaints, and advises the government on the group’s welfare. The body received constitutional status in 2018 under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Ahir believes that the recently announced caste census by the Centre would be ‘more streamlined’ compared to 2011. “The Proforma or forms used during the 2011 Census were not sound, and the survey eventually ended up only being an economic one as caste data was excluded,” Ahir told The Indian Express. “Lakhs of caste groups were noted during the survey as people even mentioned their village names, and gotra (lineage or clan) as caste groups, and it became a mess,” he said. “There was no firm stand taken by the government of the day. They did not follow the word they had given in Parliament,” he added. The 2011 survey was carried out under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Ahir, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Maharashtra, was a member of Lok Sabha at that time. “Back in 2011, I was a Member of Parliament and had actively taken feedback from the ground on the SECC survey. It was full of gaps. Moreover, I also had the opportunity to handle the matter later on as Minister of State for Home Affairs, and hence I am aware that the SECC data was not carried out properly. Those who went for enumeration were not completely trained for the exercise, and gaps in the overall process reflected in the outcome,” Ahir said. The 2011 Census was followed by SECC 2011, under which data on individual castes and tribes was collected between 2011 and 2013. Findings of parts of the survey, which included several parameters, were published in 2016. While, total number of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was released, data on caste populations was never made public. “I believe the government has thought through its decision, and the upcoming caste census would be streamlined and transparent,” he said. Even though the government has announced its decision to carry out a caste census, it has not specified a timeline as yet. An important function of NCBC, headed by Ahir, is to scrutinise state government proposals to add caste groups to the central list of the Other Backward Classes, so that they benefit from reservations in central government jobs and educational institutions. State governments have to back their proposals with socio-economic and educational data to satisfy the commission on the backwardness of communities. The commission then vets the data and recommends it to the Centre for their approval. Subsequently, the Centre then notifies the recommended list of castes.
