After Odisha-Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh backs caste-based census

New Delhi, Feb 29: Leaders from the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh and the Maharashtra government on Friday demanded a caste-based census to evaluate the population of Other Backward Classes (OBC) in their respective states to ensure a fair allotment of quotas in government jobs and educational institutions for underprivileged communities.

However, with Uttar Pradesh's opposition parties demand such method, Maharashtra becomes the third state to back a caste-based census after Odisha and Bihar.

Uttar Pradesh's BSP, Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders demanded for passing a resolution to this method during the Zero Hour of the House.

In Maharashtra, several ministers from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, joined by the Assembly Speaker, said that a caste-based census should be conducted by the state government if the Centre is not willing to accept the demand for the same.

On the other side, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that delegation led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray would hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah demanding the same during the 2021 population census is undertaken.

What is caste-based census?

In 2010, the Manmohan Singh government had approved the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) to be carried out after discussion in both houses of the Parliament. SECC 2011 was also the first "paperless census" in India conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government in 640 districts. This census was the first-ever caste-based census since 1931 Census of India, and was launched on June 29, 2011, from the Sankhola village of Hazemara block in West Tripura district.