Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday announced that caste data will be officially included in the upcoming national census. This significant decision was taken during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA).
"The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise," Vaishnaw stated during a media briefing.
While sharing the Cabinet's decision, Vaishnaw criticised the Congress party, accusing it of consistently opposing the caste census. He also targeted other parties in the INDIA alliance, claiming they have used the issue of caste-based population counts solely for political gains.
#WATCH | Delhi | Speaking on Union Cabinet decisions, Union Minister Ashiwini Vaishnaw says," The Union Cabinet has approved a high-speed corridor highway from Shillong to Silchar to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 22,864 crore." pic.twitter.com/oRpLbDeDVB
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2025
“Congress governments have always opposed the caste census,” he said. “In 2010, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh suggested that the matter be reviewed by the Cabinet. A group of ministers was formed to look into the issue. Despite most political parties recommending a caste census, the Congress government only opted to carry out a survey instead of a full enumeration.”
Vaishnaw went on to say that the Congress and its INDIA bloc partners have treated the caste census as nothing more than a political tool. He noted that while some states have conducted caste-based surveys properly, others carried them out in a politically motivated and non-transparent manner.
“These kinds of surveys have raised doubts among people,” he said, adding that including caste details in the official census is a better way to maintain social harmony and avoid politically motivated divisions.
The demand for a caste census has been a long-standing one from the Congress, the INDIA alliance, and several regional parties. Recently, the Congress-led Karnataka government conducted its own caste survey.
However, it was met with resistance from the Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities. These groups argued that the findings of the 'Social and Educational Survey Report,' originally commissioned a decade ago, did not reflect their communities accurately and required a comprehensive review.
Other Key Decisions from the CCPA Meeting
Apart from the caste census decision, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs also approved several major initiatives:
- High-Speed Greenfield Corridor in the Northeast: The government gave its approval for the development of a 166.80 km greenfield high-speed corridor (NH-6) from Mawlyngkhung, near Shillong in Meghalaya, to Panchgram, near Silchar in Assam. This project will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at an estimated cost of ₹22,864 crore.
- Sugarcane Price for 2025-26: The Cabinet also set the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for the 2025-26 sugar season. The FRP will be ₹355 per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10.25%. Farmers will receive an additional ₹3.46 per quintal for every 0.1% increase in recovery above this rate. Conversely, there will be a reduction of ₹3.46 per quintal for every 0.1% decrease in recovery.
These announcements reflect the government's push to address long-standing social demands while also focusing on infrastructure development and agricultural reforms.
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