Caste census getting delayed because of enumerators error:MoRD

The caste census is getting further delayed due to enumerators making errors like treating 'Sharma' and 'Muslim' as castes, prompting government to ask the states to complete the exercise before August 31.
Details of the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) emerging from the states reveal that the enumerators have made "errors" in the crucial caste data gathered in the exercise.
A worried Centre has ordered the states to "rectify" the mistakes and complete the already delayed process before August 31 this year "without fail".
"As the SECC survey was in progress it was observed that in a number of Enumeration Blocks (EB) the caste data gathered were erroneous," the Rural Development Ministry said.

A verification and correction module was introduced and states and union territories were asked to rectify the mistakes identified as per norms set by Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India (ORGI), the Ministry said.
Officials said in some blocks in north India, the enumerators have marked 'Sharma' in the caste column.

"Sharma is not a caste. In some blocks they have been marked as people belonging to Sharma caste. It is wrong and it should be rectified," a Ministry official told PTI.
The official also said that in some blocks Muslims have been marked as castes. "Such errors occurred because of the carelessness of the enumerators," he said.

Officials said that the list of generic mistakes were identified, listed and options given to states to correct the same.
The government commenced the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) in June 2011 through a comprehensive door-to- door enumeration across the country. The process was supposed to complete in an year but got delayed due to various reasons.
"We have asked the states to complete the entire process before August 31 without fail," an official said.