States/UTs asked to rectify more than 1.45 crore errors related to Socio-Economic and Caste Census

The Government reviewed the status of the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) on July 16, 2015. It emerged that 46,73,034 distinct caste names have been returned in the SECC. These include Caste/sub-Caste names, synonyms, surnames, clan/gothra names, phonetic variations, sections, sub-groups etc. These will have to be classified by experts having domain knowledge on these issues.

Besides, it noted that as far as the Caste particulars were concerned, 8,19,58,314 errors found in the Caste returns had been communicated to the States/UTs for rectification. The States have been making efforts to rectify the errors and had rectified 6,73,81,119 errors. However, 1,45,77,195 errors are yet to be rectified. For example, Maharashtra (69.1 lakhs), Madhya Pradesh (13.9 lakhs), West Bengal (11.6 lakhs), Rajasthan (7.2 lakhs), Uttar Pradesh (5.4 lakhs), Karnataka (2.9 lakhs), Bihar (1.7 lakhs), Tamil Nadu (1.4 lakhs) and all other States and Union Territories still have errors to be rectified.

Further, it noted that the field work of collection of data has been completed and that the data relating to Socio-Economic features of households in rural areas was released by the Ministry of Rural Development on July 3, 2015. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, however, did not released any data relating to Urban areas.

In the circumstances, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced formation of an Expert Group to classify and categorise the Caste returns under the Chairmanship of Shri Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairperson, NITI AAYOG. The members of the Expert Group would be finalised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in consultation with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Further, the Expert Group will be serviced by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

The Government is fully committed to completing the SECC and requests the State/UT Governments for its fullest cooperation to complete the rectification of errors. In the meanwhile, the classification of the available Caste/Tribe data will be taken up by the Expert Group.

It may be recalled that the MHA had sought the approval of the Union Cabinet on May 9, 2011 for collecting the Caste Data along with the SECC. The then Government decided on May 19, 2011 that the data collection under SECC would be done by the State Governments with the financial and technical support of the Government of India. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA) were designated as the nodal Ministries in the Government of India. The Office of the Registrar General, India (RGI) was directed to provide the technical and logistical support. Further, it was decided that after completing the field data collection, the data relating to caste/ tribes would be handed over by the RGI to an expert group to be constituted by the Government at an appropriate time for classification. Accordingly, as the field work is now substantially completed, the present Government has decided that it is now appropriate to constitute the expert group.

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