New Delhi: In a landmark decision, the government on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census, marking the first such step since independence.

The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“As per article 246 of the Constitution of India, the subject Census is listed at 69 in the Union list in Seventh Schedule. According to the Constitution of India, Census is a Union subject,” Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a media briefing.

He said, “Some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes. Some states have done this well, while some others have conducted such surveys purely from a political angle in a non-transparent way. Such surveys have created doubts in society.”

Vaishnaw said, “Considering all these facts, and 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”.

It may be mentioned that the main Opposition party, the Congress and especially Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had been demanding caste census. He had raised the issue at various platforms including the Lower House.

The Minister added, “This demonstrates that our government is committed to the values and interests of our society and country, like in the past when our government had introduced 10 percent reservation for the economically weaker sections of the society without causing stress in any section of the society.”