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Caste complications: A caste census will not address basic issues

Given that the government has decided in favour of caste enumeration in the next census, its implications are worth discussing here

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Nonetheless, given the additional requirement of caste enumeration, it might get delayed further. (Imaging: Ajay Mohanty)

Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai

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The Union Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on Wednesday decided to include caste enumeration in the next census. This will be for the first time since Independence that caste data will be collected in the census, though the data for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is recorded. The broader caste data was last collected in the 1931 census. Bipartisan political support for the announcement suggests that it was only a matter of time before India began to enumerate on caste. In fact, it was one of the biggest poll promises of the Opposition parties, including the Congress, in the