Page 3 - Caste System India

Govt may expand census to include more questions around caste: Reports

Officials are now debating whether to add a third caste category, called "other backward class" to the questionnaire or whether to conduct a separate caste survey

No provision for creamy layers in SC/ST reservation, says Vaishnaw

Union Minister's remarks came days after the Supreme Court ruled that states have the power to sub-classify Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs)

'SC's Dalit quota sub-categorisation verdict may help BJP boost outreach'

The BJP may not have taken a categorical stand at the national level on the Supreme Court's landmark decision allowing states to create sub-categorisation within the SCs and STs, but several of its leaders are of the view that the verdict can help the party boost its outreach to the more disadvantaged sections of Dalits. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has assiduously cultivated the numerically-weaker Scheduled Castes (SCs) in many states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, over the years, and the apex court's verdict may allow the party to promise these communities with their most coveted wish -- their fair share in government jobs and schemes, they said. The erosion of Dalit votes that hit the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha polls has sent its brain trust to the drawing board, as the party looks to reinvigorate its outreach to the community after the opposition's allegation that the Narendra Modi government wanted to change the Constitution found some traction in the ...

Anurag Thakur's caste remark 'on Rahul Gandhi' expunged; Oppn seeks apology

BJP MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, Anurag Thakur stoked a political row on Tuesday over his controversial Lok Sabha speech, apparently targeted at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi

Ramdas Athawale advocates for caste census in country, slams Congress

Union minister Ramdas Athawale has said his Republican Party of India (A) supports conducting a caste census in the country and believes some way should be found for it. Speaking to reporters in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city on Sunday, Athawale also said there should be no malpractice in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the Education Ministry was taking all possible steps to stop malpractices in the exam in future. He said since Article 17 of the Constitution has a provision to abolish casteism, there has been a hindrance before governments on how to get a caste-based census conducted. "My party demands that some way should be found because once the caste-based census is done, we will know the percentage of every caste in the population," the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said. Athawale further said if future decisions include extending reservation benefits to every caste based on their population share, his party would not oppose it, ...

Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar urge peace after Beed video suggests caste tensions

A video purportedly containing remarks against a particular community in the backdrop of tension between two caste groups in a village in Beed district has gone viral, prompting leaders of various political parties to appeal for peace. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Ajit Pawar (NCP) have appealed for maintaining peace and avoiding such commentary. Beed Superintendent of Police, Nand Kumar Thakur, on Monday, rushed to Mundewadi village in Kej tehsil and held a meeting with villagers. The video clip went viral on Sunday against the backdrop of tensions between members of the Maratha and Vanjari communities. Some villagers in the video clip, which went viral on Sunday, can be heard saying that no 'Maharaj' (religious preacher) from the Maratha community should be invited to the village. Villagers also asked others not to consume liquor from a shop, while a man threatened that those violating this diktat would be penalised. "A meeting was conducted in

India's consumption story is yet to address the caste discrimination issue

Ages-old bias could also be affecting what traditionally deprived communities earn

Highlights: 4th round of talks between ministers, farmer leaders concludes

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Rahul Gandhi's claims about Bihar caste survey nonsensical: CM Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said Rahul Gandhi's claim that the caste survey in the state was held under the Congress' pressure was nonsensical'. Talking to reporters three days after he dumped the 'Mahagathbandhan' and returned to the BJP-led NDA, Kumar, also the JD(U) president, claimed that he did not like the nomenclature of the opposition bloc INDIA. Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that Kumar was feeling trapped after getting a caste survey conducted under pressure from the Mahagathbandhan partners and the BJP provided him with a way out".

Following Bihar, Andhra Pradesh govt begins comprehensive caste census

The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday kicked off its comprehensive caste census to enumerate all communities in the state. Information and Public Relations (I & PR) Minister C Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna said the census is scheduled for 10 days from January 19. "The comprehensive caste census is scheduled for 10 days in one phase and if needed, it will be extended by four or five days," Krishna told PTI. The Minister noted that volunteers will visit each and every home to collect the caste details, which will be relayed to the village secretariat system. Andhra Pradesh becomes the second state after Bihar to take up the caste census. Krishna said officials in the village secretariat system across the state will verify the accuracy of information collected by the volunteers and correct it, if necessary, before making the final record. Each volunteer will cater to 50 households. Krishna exuded confidence that the entire census process will be completed before the issuance of th

PM Modi says women one big caste, warns against attempts to create rift

In a swipe at opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday cautioned women against "divisive politics" seeking to split them and said they are one big "caste" who can take on any challenge together. "All women should remain together. Nowadays, some people are creating rift among women... All women have one caste which is so big that they can together take on any challenge," he said while interacting with women beneficiaries of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY). An official statement later added that he cautioned women to be aware of divisive politics seeking to create a rift among them. The ruling BJP has assiduously courted women voters with several welfare schemes, some surveys have shown that they have voted for the party more enthusiastically in a number of state elections. Modi's comments are seen as a swipe at the Congress and other parties which have been pushing for a caste census while the prime minister has asserted that the poor, women, youths and ..

People have rejected caste-based politics of Congress: Anurag Singh Thakur

Anurag Thakur further said that women in Rajasthan had made up their minds to vote against the Congress for allegations of corruption and poor handling of women's security in the state

Bihar caste survey: Here's what it reveals about poverty, jobs in the state

Bihar caste survey: Around 99.49% of people belonging to the SC category in the state have no access to laptops

OBCs decoded: How backward classes in India were categorised and recognised

The Other Backward Class (OBC) is a collective term used to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward

Anyone can enter a temple anywhere, work to eradicate caste bias: Hosabale

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that any person has the right to enter a temple anywhere, urging RSS cadres to work for eliminating caste-based discrimination which he said brings disrepute to the entire Hindu community. Speaking before a gathering of local RSS workers at an open ground here on Thursday, he also stressed the need to instill a permanent sense of unity among the country's people. Any person can enter any temple, and everyone has the right to fetch water from any source of water. We must not tolerate such discrimination in the name of caste or untouchability, because it brings disrepute to the entire Hindu community. Instead of only opposing such practices, we must work actively to abolish them, said the RSS leader. When Indian athletes performed well in the Asian Games, no one asked about their caste or religion, and during the COVID-19 lockdown, people helped migrant labourers irrespective of caste or faith, he ...

After Bihar caste survey results, demand for nationwide census gets shrill

The survey found 81.99 per cent of Bihar's total population was Hindu, followed by 17.7 per cent Muslims

Bihar caste census: 63% people from backward, extremely backward classes

According to the survey, 27.1 per cent of Bihar's population is from Backward Classes while 36 per cent of the population is from Extremely Backward Classes (EBC)

Penalised for demographic success? Strange case of states south of Godavari

Ahead of a delimitation exercise, the government would be well advised to pre-emptively make offers like greater regional autonomy or an unchanged Rajya Sabha to the southern states, writes T N Ninan

Will not stay Bihar caste survey unless prima facie case made: SC

The Supreme Court Monday told the petitioners challenging the Patna High Court order giving the go-ahead to the Bihar government for a caste survey that it will not stay the exercise unless they made out a prima facie case against it. The top court also allowed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, to file its response on the issue within seven days after he said the survey could have some consequences. "We are not this way or that way. But this exercise may have some consequences and hence we would like to file our reply," Mehta said but did not elaborate on the consequences the contentious exercise could possibly have. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, which is hearing a batch of pleas filed by various NGOs and individuals challenging the August 1 verdict of the high court, adjourned the proceedings at Mehta's request. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for one of the petitioners, sought the court's direction restraining the state governm

Nitish Kumar declines to reveal next steps on Bihar's caste survey

The Bihar government has completed 80 per cent of the caste based cum economic survey and it has an option to pass a law and complete the survey