जनगणना में स्थान परिवर्तन के ब्यौरे होंगे दर्ज

बिलासपुर। राष्ट्रीय जनगणना 2011 के अन्तर्गत प्रश्न 23 और 24 में लोगों के स्थान परिवर्तन ब्यौरे प्राप्त किये जायेंगे। इसके अन्तर्गत ग्रामीण से नगरीय स्थान परिवर्तन या देश के एक भाग से दूसरे भाग में स्थान परिवर्तन की जानकारी दर्ज होगी।
कलेक्टर श्री सोनमणि बोरा ने जनगणना कार्य में लगे हुए चार्ज अधिकारियों, प्रगणकों व सुपरवाईजरों को स्पष्ट किया है कि, ऐसे व्यक्तियों की बहुत बड़ी संख्या होती है जो कि काम के लिए विवाह तथा अन्य कारणों से अपना निवास स्थान गांव से नगर अथवा अन्य गांव अथवा नगर में बदलते रहते है। यह अदला-बदली जिसमें निवास गांव व नगर से अन्य गांव व नगर में परिवर्तित होता है, स्थान परिवर्तन कहलाता है। धार्मिक स्थलों, सरकारी दौरा, भ्रमण, चिकित्सा उपचार आदि जैसी प्रकृति के पूर्णत: अस्थायी परिवर्तन को स्थान परिवर्तन नहीं माना जायेगा। कलेक्टर श्री बोरा ने कहा क्योंकि उक्त कारणों में व्यक्ति का निवास स्थान परिवर्तन नहीं होता है। स्थान परिवर्तन करने वाले व्यक्तियों को प्रवासीय माना जायेगा।
जनगणना के प्रयोजन के लिए स्थान परिवर्तन करने वाले दो प्रकार के होते है पहला - जन्मस्थान के अनुसार स्थान परिवर्तन करने वाले और दूसरा - पूर्व निवास स्थान के अनुसार स्थान परिवर्तन करने वाले । प्रश्न 23 में जन्मस्थान के अनुसार स्थान परिवर्तन करने वालों के ब्यौरे एकत्रित किये जायेंगे । जबकि प्रश्न 24 से 26 में पूर्व निवास स्थान के अनुसार स्थान परिवर्तन करने वालों के ब्यौरे प्राप्त किये जायेंगे। जन्मस्थान में गांव अथवा नगर, जिला और राज्य का वर्तमान नाम लिखा जायेगा। यदि कोई व्यक्ति देश में रेलगाड़ी या बस या नाव या हावाई जहाज, आदि में पैदा हुआ हो तो इस प्रश्न में उस गांव, नगर, जिले और राज्य, संघ राज्य क्षेत्र का मौजूदा नाम लिखे जहां जन्म को पंजीकृत कराया गया हो। यदि जन्म को पंजीकृत न कराया गया हो, तो इसमें उस प्रशासनिक क्षेत्र के विवरण दर्ज करें, जहां व्यक्ति का जन्म हुआ है। जो व्यक्ति गणना के गांव या नगर से बाहर लेकिन देश में ही पैदा हुआ हो, उसके उस राज्य, संघ राज्य क्षेत्र के वर्तमान नाम का पता लगाकर जहां उसका जन्म हुआ था, प्रश्न 23 में दर्ज किये जायेंगे।

सिवान व गोपालगंज के चार्ज अधिकारियों को मिला प्रशिक्षण

छपरा: जनगणना 2011 के तहत 1 से 28 फरवरी तक चलने वाले जनगणना अभियान को लेकर मंगलवार को समाहरणालय के सभागार में प्रमण्डल स्तरीय प्रशिक्षण शिविर का आयोजन किया गया। दूसरे दिन सिवान एवं गोपालगंज जिले के जनगणना अधिकारियों को प्रशिक्षण दिया गया।
जनगणना निदेशालय के सहायक निदेशक एम.एम.पाण्डेय ने जनगणना अधिकारियों को प्रशिक्षण देते हुए फार्म भरने, कानूनी पहलू, व्यक्ति व परिवार के मुखिया तथा मकान संख्या सहित कई महत्वपूर्ण जानकारी दी। प्रशिक्षण शिविर में सिवान के अपर समाहर्ता, एसडीओ सिवान, एसडीओ महराजगंज, डीआरडीए निदेशक सिवान, गोपालगंज जिले के अपर समाहर्ता सहित सिवान तथा गोपालगंज के सभी चार्ज एवं सहायक चार्ज अधिकारी उपस्थित थे। विदित है कि अगले वर्ष 1 से 28 फरवरी 2011 तक जनगणना अभियान चलेगा। इस अभियान में व्यक्तियों की गणना की जाएगी। इसके लिए जनगणना विभाग द्वारा तैयारी शुरू कर दी गई है। सारण जिले के चार्ज व सहायक चार्ज अधिकारियों को शिविर के पहले दिन सोमवार को जनगणना का प्रशिक्षण दिया गया था।

किन्नरों को अलग श्रेणी अगले साल से

नई दिल्ली। किन्नरों को वर्ष 2011 की जनगणना में "अन्य" श्रेणी में शामिल किया जाएगा। सरकार द्वारा तकनीकि सलाहकार समिति की सिफारिशों को मंजूर कर लिए जाने के बाद ये रास्ता खुला है।

आरटीआई के तहत भारतीय महापंजीयक कार्यालय से मिली जानकारी के मुताबिक, 2011 की जनगणना में कोड "1" और "2" क्रमश: पुरूष और महिला के लिए हैं। जबकि किन्नरों को अलग कोड "3" दिया जाएगा।

जनगणना से मना किया तो होगी जेल

रायपुर. जनगणना करने से इनकार करना सरकारी कर्मचारियों को महंगा पड़ सकता है।
भारत की जनगणना 2010 में जिस सरकारी कर्मचारी या अधिकारी की ड्यूटी लगाई जाएगी, उसे अपनी ड्यूटी पूरी करनी ही होगा। यदि वह इससे इनकार करता है तो उसे जेल जानी पड़ सकती है। छत्तीसगढ़ की जनगणना आयुक्त रेणु पिल्लई ने बताया कि जनगणना अत्यंत संवेदनशील और गंभीर कार्य है। जनगणना के केंद्रीय आयुक्त और महारजिस्ट्रार के आदेशानुसार इससे इनकार करना अपराध की श्रेणी में आता है। इसके लिए प्रगणक को तीन साल का कारावास हो सकता है। श्रीमती पिल्लई ने जनगणना अधिकारियों की बैठक ली। उन्होंने बताया कि जनगणना का दूसरा चरण नौ फरवरी 2011 से शुरू हो रहा है। यह 28 फरवरी तक चलेगा। इसमें लोगों से 29 प्रश्न पूछे जाएंगे।

Census cloud over school schedule

NAGPUR: A Government Resolution has announced that schools must not conduct exams between January 1 and March 15, 2011, as a large number of teachers will be busy with census.

The School Education Department has issued a notification dated November 26, 2010, in this regard following a letter by the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Dr C Chandramouli.

Though the GR may have been issued in interest of teachers, the ground realities are different. Anxious parents, students, teachers and school authorities believe this decision will lead to total chaos as January-March is the most crucial part of an academic year. A lot of planning and clear demarcation of duties along with deployment of additional non-teaching staff will be required to ensure that the census does not interfere with academics. Teachers are hard-pressed this time of the year to complete the syllabus for the year-end final exams, both for primary and secondary sections. Those who teach students of Class X and XII are worst-placed as they have to prepare students for practical exams and hold prelims too in this period.

Authorities in Nagpur, however, admitted that they are yet to begin preparations for the census as they haven't received the notification yet. Additional municipal commissioner Vishnupad Bute said, "We are yet to get any letter but I have read some reports in newspapers. We will definitely have to plan things in an effective manner but we will wait until any official confirmation comes." There are rumours that board exams may be postponed this year, the dates of which have already been announced. This has left teachers and students completely confused. Students and parents fear that this new arrangement will most probably spoil their plans for a summer vacation in 2011.

Thousands of primary and high school teachers from across government-aided schools have been deployed for the phase two of 2011 Census in India, which involves gathering information about social and economic status of the population. Teachers will also be busy gathering information for the government's Unique Identification Card (UID) scheme between March 1 and 5. The government will also be holding workshops to train teachers for the census, which will again eat into academic hours. The fate of open book tests hangs in balance. The scholarship exams for students in Class IV and V may also be postponed to the end of March.

Deepak Gokhale, principal, CP and Berar High School, said, "teaching has become a secondary priority. All these schemes are leading to total chaos. Officers of education department are controlling schools and we are totally handicapped." He pointed that education system was such that a teacher who conducted classes for Class XII may also be teaching students of Class IX. Chandramani Borkar, divisional chairman of State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Nagpur office said, "A delegation of teachers met me requesting postponement of board exams but I flatly refused. If exams are postponed, vacations and the admission process will be thrown out of sync. Anyways, only 25 percent of teachers are involved in the census work and we can easily manage with the rest." Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is short of non-teaching staff too. Who will conduct the exams when teachers are busy remains a question.

In a first, Census 2011 to mark people with multiple disability

For the first time in India, people with multiple disability will be a part of Census 2011. The census will not only include the number of people in each disabled category but also recognise diseases like dyslexia and autism as forms of disability.
Disability, which was included in various census in different forms but discontinued in 1991, was reintroduced in 2001. However, Census 2001 was confined to disability in vision, speech, audio, movement and mental. Census 2011, however, will include people with two or more disabilities — speech and audio; vision and audio; impairments like movement will be combined with vision or audio or speech or others; mental retardation or illness with vision or audio or others; or difficulty in movement, speech, audio or loss of memory due to old age. Along with recognising a person with multiple disorders, the enumerators will also mark the type of disabilities the person is facing.

Punjab HC dismisses plea to know Sonia's religion recorded in Census 2001

A division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed the petition filed by former director general of police of Haryana, P C Wadhwa, on whether the Registrar General, Census Operations, is bound to provide details of the religion and faith of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her children under the Act.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Ranjan Gogoi dismissed the plea and ruled the information demanded on the religion of an individual is entirely personal.
"It is evident that the petitioner is making efforts to make unjustified inroads into the privacy of the individuals even if they are public figure and consequently the information cannot be made public," the division Bench ruled.
This is being considered a landmark judgment on the right to privacy of Indian citizens and whether private information such as religion and belief of an individual can be provided to anybody under the Right to Information Act (RTI).

चीन में शुरू हुई विश्व की सबसे बड़ी जनगणना

सर्वाधिक आबादी वाले देश चीन ने अपने एक दशक पुराने जनसंख्या आंकड़े को अपडेट करने के लिए सोमवार को विश्व की सबसे बड़ी जनगणना की शुरुआत की।

जनगणना कार्यक्रम के तहत करीब साढ़े छह लाख कार्यकर्ता अगले 10 दिनों में देश के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में स्थित करीब 40 करोड़ से अधिक घरों में जाएंगे।ये कार्यकर्ता इस दौरान देश के नागरिकों के अलावा विदेशी नागरिकों के घरों में भी जाकर विभिन्न जानकारियां एकत्र करेंगे।

राष्ट्रीय सांख्यिकी ब्यूरो (एनबीएस) के अधिकारियों ने बताया कि ज्यादा सटीक आंकड़ों के लिए जनगणना का दूसरा दौर 11 नवंबर से शुरू किया जाएगा, जो 30 नवंबर तक चलेगा।उन्होंने बताया कि सभी आंकड़ों की गणना दिसंबर में की जाएगी और इसके परिणाम अप्रैल, 2011 में जारी होंगे।

संभावना है कि इस जनगणना से चीन के नागरिकों का आयु संबंधी खाका उपलब्ध हो सकेगा। चीन में एक बच्चे की नीति को सख्ती से लागू किया जा रहा है, जिससे देश में बुजुर्गों की संख्या में तेजी से वृद्धि हो रही है और पेंशन कोष पर भारी दबाव पड़ रहा है

।एनबीएस के अनुसार, 1 नवंबर से पहले जन्म लेने वालों को इस जनगणना में शामिल कर लिया जाएगा, जबकि इसके बाद जन्म लेने वालों को अगली जनगणना में शामिल किया जाएगा, जो वर्ष 2020 में होनी है।जनगणना के लिए, करीब 90 प्रतिशत लोगों को एक प्रपत्र भरने के लिए कहा जाएगा, जिसमें उन्हें करीब 18 जानकारियां देनी होंगी। इसमें नाम, लिंग, प्रजाति, घर का पंजीकरण नंबर और शिक्षा आदि के बारे में जानकारियां देनी होंगी।

Census 2011 counts on gender sensitisation

In Census 2011, special focus will be given to enumeration of women, their literacy and participation in works — either in domestic or vocational capacity.
On the basis of the Census 2001 data, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India office has identified 262 gender critical districts or cities with million-plus population in 26 states, where women work participation was less than 20 per cent or female literacy rate was less than 30 per cent or sex ratio was less than 900.
Maximum number of gender critical districts or cities have been identified in Uttar Pradesh (60), followed by Bihar (28), Haryana (18), Orissa (17), Punjab (16), Madhya Pradesh (16), Rajasthan (15), Assam (12), Delhi (9), Jammu & Kashmir (9), Kerala (9), Jharkhand (8) and Arunachal Pradesh (7) among others.
In Uttar Pradesh, about 50 districts and cities have been identified as gender critical because here sex ratio is less than 900. Moreover, while in 10 districts, the female literacy rate is less than 30 per cent, in 41 districts, women work participation is less than 20 per cent.
In several surveys and past census, it has been noticed that people — particularly in rural areas — ignore infants, children and elderly women, while giving details about family composition and work profile during enumeration. “To ensure an accurate enumeration of women in Census 2011, special attention is being given to gender sensitisation among the public and enumerators,” said Neena Sharma, Director of Census Operations in Uttar Pradesh.
According to officials, in some gender critical districts, women work participation is either very low or nil. But in jobs like “cow milching”, almost every woman in rural areas is engaged. But due to the ignorance of either the respondent or the enumerator, women engaged in such works are left out. In the ongoing Census, every woman engaged in such works will be counted.
“To achieve this objective, it is critical to enhance the skills of enumerators to accurately collect information, which sometimes the respondent is reluctant to share — especially concerning women members of the household. This usually includes information on infants, young and elderly, divorced and separated woman,” said an official.
This time, experts from UNICEF are training master trainer facilitators. Gender master trainer facilitators will be deployed in gender critical districts to train the master trainers about gender sensitisation and ways to quiz the respondents about women members in a family.
“The UNICEF has already provided the training module. In UP, training may begin by November-end,” said Sharma. Enumerators will trained to collect accurate information through cross-questioning respondents during the second phase of enumeration scheduled in February 2011.

Caste enumeration to start in June 2011 in Tamil Nadu

The Centre has informed Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi that caste enumeration would start in June next and completed in a phased manner by September 2011.
"The enumeration of all castes will start from June 2011 and will be completed in a phased manner by September 2011 keeping in view the schedule of the general elections to be held in four states including Tamil Nadu," Union home minister P Chidambaram has said.
In a letter to Karunanidhi dated October 29, Chidambaram has said the Union cabinet on September 9 had approved the group of ministers' recommendation on carrying out a caste census.
Chidambaram was responding to a letter written by Karunanidhi to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in August, seeking to incorporate caste details in the ongoing census process.

Caste Census should go beyond numbers: Justice Sadashiva

Even as the Caste Census has about to begun, Justice A J Sadashiva, who is heading a commission looking into imbalance in distribution of reservation benefits, asked the officials not to restrict the exercise to generation of data alone. The survey should help map the social, economic and cultural status of the communities, which, he said, should help the government to assist them. This should not be a mere exercise to get the data but it should also map the living conditions of the targeted communities, he told them reviewing the survey work in Mysore, Chamarajnagar, Mandya and Hassan districts. Regional commissioner M V Jayanthi was present.

Pointing out the task, Sadashiva referred to the proposed caste census by the the Centre and said: "What the commission is doing is important in that context. It should set a vast guideline for the national caste census." There is not much information about some communities. This needs to be documented and the survey should not be a mere statistical affair, he noted. Pointing at the ZP polls in December, some officials sought extension of the survey works ordained to be completed by November-end, Sadashiva said he cannot outrightly say that it will be granted. Officials said the number of enumerators is less in some areas and the commission suggested to use the local resources to make it up. The DCs, ACs and tahasldars from all four districts attended the meeting.

Second phase of census to begin in February

Agartala: The training of enumerators and supervisors for the second phase of the 2011 Census -- to be held in February next year -- shall commence next month, an official said here.
'The second phase of census 2011, called the Population Enumeration phase will be conducted simultaneously all over India from Feb 9 to 28 next year,' senior census operation official Dilip Acherjee told.
The 45-day first phase of the census, which included house listing and door-to-door headcount for the National Population Register (NPR), ended in August.
Acherjee said: 'After the field work is over, the forms have been transported to data processing centres located at 15 cities across the country. The six-phase data processing and scanning are now underway in these 15 centres and the process would be completed by November.'
Acharjee said that after the actual population enumeration (Feb 9-28, 2011), a five-day revision round would be held between March 1-5, 2011 followed by the declaration of the preliminary census result March 25, 2011.
The official said that after the Feb 9 to 28 census, the caste-based census works would be carried out by the government between June and September 2011.
The US Census Bureau and four United Nations (UN) agencies recently separately held 'sharing of experience sessions' with the Indian census officials in New Delhi.

3 साल में चीन को पछाड़ देगा भारत!

भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था के लिए अच्छी खबर है। उम्मीद की जा रही है कि आने वाले तीन सालों में ग्रोथ रेट के मामले में भारत, चीन से आगे निकल जाएगा। इसकी सबसे बड़ी वजह है भारत में युवाओं और कामकाजी जनसंख्या में तेजी से हो रही बढ़ोतरी। आंकड़ों के मुताबिक 2013 तक जहां चीन में वर्किंग पॉप्युलेशन यानी कामकाजी संख्या में 2.30 करोड़ का इजाफा होगा। वहीं भारत में यह संख्या 3.60 करोड़ से ज्यादा होगी।

साफ है कि वर्किंग पॉप्युलेशन में बढ़ोतरी के साथ ही भारत की आर्थिक विकास दर भी तेजी से बढ़ेगी। फिलहाल भारत में ग्रोथ रेट के 8 से 8.50 फीसदी के बीच रहने की उम्मीद जताई जा रही है। इसकी तुलना में चीन की ग्रोथ रेट 9.50 से 10.30 फीसदी तक जा सकती है। लेकिन जानकारों का मानना है कि 2013 जीडीपी ग्रोथ रेट के मामले में भारत 10 फीसदी के स्तर को पार कर सकता है। वहीं कामकाजी जनसंख्या में गिरावट की वजह से चीन का ग्रोथ रेट 9 फीसदी से नीचे भी आ सकता है।

Census 2011 to collect data on eunuchs

In a first in census history, the government has decided to collect data on eunuchs in the 2011 census beginning February 9.

Senior officer from the census office in Mumbai confirmed that apart from male and female, this time around the census will also have a column to register details of eunuchs.

Phase-II of the census will be conducted by the central government from February 9 until February 28, said the officer. He added that a revision round would also be conducted between March 1 and March 5.

After population census, a provisional population will be announced by the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner of India.

During enumeration, the process to create a database on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, language, religion and migration, would involve visiting each and every household in the district.

In fact, census 2011 was a milestone as the government had also intended to create the National Population Register (NPR), a comprehensive identity database that would facilitate the creation of a biometrics-based identity system in the country, allowing identity cards for all citizens, he said.

Caste census in June-September next year

The caste-based census would be carried out by the government between June and September next year, Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced on Friday.
“It was decided that Caste will be canvassed through a separate house-to-house survey between June and September, 2011,” Mr. Chidambaram told reporters at his monthly press meet here.
Bowing to demands by several political parties, government had last month decided to carry out a separate caste census next year.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had told the Lok Sabha recently that all political parties had supported the idea of including caste in census and there was no need for any “apprehensions” over the issue.
His statement had come after leaders of BJP, JD(U), BSP and Samajwadi Party wanted to know as to what happened to the government’s promise to carry out a caste census.

PMK to stage protest for caste-based census

PMK would stage State-wide protests on September 28 demanding for caste-based census in Tamil Nadu.
Party president G. K. Mani said that PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss will lead the demonstration at Chennai and himself at Salem. Party MLAs and other office-bearers would lead the protest in the respective districts, he told.
Following the Vanniyar Association protest in 1989, when Tamil Nadu was under Governor Rule, then Governor P. C. Alexander had announced conducting caste-based census for offering reservation but that was put in the backburner after elections held that year, Mr. Mani said.
No such census had been conducted in Tamil Nadu since 1931, he said.

जनगणना के द्वितीय चरण की तैयारियां शुरू

श्रीगंगानगर कलेक्टर सुबीरकुमार ने कहा है कि जनगणना देश का महत्वपूर्ण राष्ट्रीय कार्यक्रम है। इस कार्य को सही तरीके से और संवेदनशील होकर किया जाए। यह जनगणना देश के विकास की तस्वीर है। इन्हीं आंकड़ों के आधार पर देश में विकास और जनकल्याणकारी योजनाएं तैयार होंगी।

वे बुधवार को कलेक्ट्रेट सभाकक्ष में जनगणना 2011 के दूसरे चरण की तैयारियों को लेकर रखी बैठक को संबोधित कर रहे थे।

जनगणना निदेशालय जयपुर के सहायक निदेशक पुनीत मल्होत्रा एवं एमएल महावर ने जनगणना 2011 के दूसरे चरण के लिए की जाने वाली तैयारियों के संबंध में विस्तारपूर्वक जानकारी दी। उन्होंने दूसरे चरण के लिए विशेष रूप से संशोधित चार्ज रजिस्टर एवं संक्षिप्त मकान सूची तैयार करने के लिए कहा। जिला सांख्यिकी अधिकारी अशोक शर्मा ने जनगणना 2011 के तहत अब तक की गई तैयारियों के बारे में बताया। बैठक में एडीएम सिटी आरएस लांबा, आयुक्त जीवनदास सहित जिलेभर के अधिकारी उपस्थित थे।

वीडियो कान्फ्रेंस से जनगणना का जायजा

डायरेक्टर जनगणना आपरेशन पंजाब सीमा जैन ने वीडियो कान्फ्रेंस के जरिए जनगणना 2011 संबंधी चल रहे कामों का जायजा लिया।
जानकारी देते हुए एडीसी एपीएस विर्क ने बताया कि जनगणना के पहले पड़ाव में लगाए गए गिणतीकारों, सुपरवाईजर, मास्टर ट्रेनर, चार्ज अफसरों को उनका बनता मानभत्ता दे दिया गया है, यदि किसी का भत्ता रहता है तो एक सप्ताह के अंदर दे दिया जाएगा। उन्होंने बताया कि साल 2011 की जनगणना में जो खर्च हो रहा है उसका रिपोर्ट हर महीने स्थानीय सरकार के सचिव कोभेजने के साथ- साथ उसकी एक कापी जनगणना कार्यालय पंजाब को भी भेज रहे हैं।
उन्होंने डायरेक्टर को बताया कि सर्कुलर नंबर 14 व 15 के अनुसार जिन ब्लाकों की आबादी 800 से अधिक है, उन ब्लाकों के लिए पटियाला जिले में 209 और नए सब ब्लाक बनाए गए हैं और उनकी सूची अलग तौर पर बनाई जाएगी। शहर एरिया में स्लम ब्लाकों की जनगणना की अलग से ब्लाक बनाकर दी जाएगी। उन्होंने बताया कि घरों की सूचियां तैयार करने में डायरेक्टर जनगणना विभाग चंडीगढ़ के अधिकारियों द्वारा 1 अक्टूबर से 8 अक्टूबर तक हर जिले में ट्रेनिंग दी जाएगी।

Shiv Sena launches web war on caste Census

The Shiv Sena, which had opposed the Mandal Commission recommendations two decades ago, is invoking the philosophy of Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s father Keshav alias Prabodhankar Thackeray to oppose castewise Census.
The party has launched a website on Prabodhankar Thackeray, a social reformer who used to publish a fortnightly Prabodhan (Enlightenment) against social evil. Using Prabodhankar’s views against the caste system, the Sena seems to be reviving its anti-Mandal stand.
“Prabodhankar fought against undesired social traditions throughout his life, but the policy of the new government (of caste Census) has created a new casteism that will harm Maharashtra,” Bal Thackeray said in Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Saturday.
For the launch of the website, the Sena roped in the founder-president of the Dalit Panthers and noted poet Namdeo Dhasal, who writes a column in Saamna. Dhasal, who had fought street battles with the Sena in the 1970s, praised Prabodhankar for his fight against casteism. Dhasal said Bal Thackeray was carrying forward his father’s legacy and that Uddhav was also providing an able leadership.
Bal Thackeray has been all along opposing caste-based quota and favouring reservation based on economic status.

जनगणना करवाने के कैबिनेट के फैसले पर फिर से विरोध शुरू

वर्तमान जनगणना से अलग अगले साल जाति जनगणना करवाने के कैबिनेट के फैसले पर फिर से विरोध शुरू हो गया है।

जाति जनगणना को लेकर संसद में काफी उग्र रहे जद(यू) अध्यक्ष शरद यादव ने आरोप लगाया कि कहा कि प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह, संप्रग अध्यक्ष सोनिया गांधी और लोकसभा के नेता प्रणब मुखर्जी ने संसद का भरोसा तोड़ दिया। सरकार का फैसला न सिर्फ पैसे की बर्बादी है बल्कि पूरी गणना का उद्देश्य ही विफल कर देगा। केंद्रीय वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी को पत्र भेजकर उन्होंने पुनर्विचार करने और वर्तमान जनगणना में ही इसे लागू करने की मांग की।

CSeparate caste count a bad decision: Sharad Yadav

Criticising the government’s decision to conduct a separate census for caste-count, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav on Tuesday said the proposed exercise does not match their demand.
Yadav told a press conference that they had sought the compilation of data on the socio-economic status of various caste-groups, so that problems of social, economic and educational backwardness could be addressed. What the government initiative would yield would be just the numerical strength of each caste-group. “It would be a wastage of money, time and effort,” he added. These figures, according to him, “would only help parties (in selecting their candidates) in the polls.”
“We register our objection to this decision,” Yadav said, claiming that it was contrary to the commitment made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee to all parties that caste would be included in the census. “They have failed to keep their word,” he said.
The JD(U) chief called for an immediate review of the decision and suggested that caste identification be incorporated in the ongoing exercise, being conducted under Census Act, 1948.

Former CECs oppose caste census

Three days after the Union cabinet’s nod to the caste census, three former Chief Election Commissioners came on one platform criticising ‘the detrimental decision that will divide the nation on caste lines serving the needs of some vote starved political leaders.’
Though there were already protests against ‘the compiling and segregation of population on caste lines’ — a British practice being readopted after a gap of 80 years — the concern now comes from J.M. Lyngdoh, N. Gopalaswami and T.S. Krishnamurthy who earlier serving as CECs have expert, first-hand knowledge of the bond between caste and vote in the country.
Appealing to the government not to succumb to vote-politics, the Commissioners under the umbrella of Foundation for Advanced Management of Elections (FAME) said they will discuss the issue and decide to file a PIL in the Supreme Court against the decision.
“Votes are appealed on caste lines here. Apart from increasing the awareness of caste it will accentuate the worst trend of caste politics in the country,” N. Gopalaswami, former CEC said.
“So far the caste based (political or governmental) measures are based on rough estimates. The new exercise will serve on a platter the exact number of members in each caste leading to undesirable situations,” Gopalaswami, who is vice chairman (VC), FAME, added.
“(The cabinet decision) is a retrograde step. What good will it serve except being detrimental to the larger interests of the country,” J.M. Lyngdoh said. Lyngdoh, who is also Chairman of the body, said that FAME would discuss and take a decision on filing a PIL.
“This is certainly a serious issue. We have seen the kind of effect that caste has on politics, elections. Caste based census is condemnable with all reason,” T.S. Krishnamurthy said.
General secretary of FAME K.J. Rao said they will take along like-minded individuals and NGOs in opposing the move. The new wave of protest from the CECs will boost ‘Mera Jaat Hindustani’ campaign launched by a section of civil society

अलग से होगी जाति आधारित जनगणना

विपक्षी दलों की माँग को स्वीकार करते हुए सरकार ने आजादी के बाद पहली बार जाति आधारित जनगणना अलग से कराने का आज फैसला किया जो अगले वर्ष जून से सितंबर तक होगी। इस जनगणना में अनुसूचित जाति और अनुसूचित जनजाति के अलावा बाकी जातियों की गणना की जाएगी।

प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह की अध्यक्षता में यहाँ हुई केन्द्रीय मंत्रिमंडल की बैठक में यह फैसला किया गया। बैठक के बाद केंद्रीय गृह मंत्री पी. चिदंबरम ने संवाददाताओं को बताया कि सरकार ने जनगणना के मौजूदा कार्यक्रम को यथावत चलाने तथा जाति आधारित जनगणना अगले वर्ष जून से कराने का निर्णय लिया गया है। उन्होंने कहा कि घर-घर जाकर यह जनगणना की जाएगी। इसे जून 2011 में शुरू किया जाएगा और सितंबर 2011 तक इसे पूरा कर लिया जाएगा। उन्होंने कहा कि जाति आधारित जनगणना के बारे में गठित मंत्रिसमूह इस जनगणना पर होने वाले खर्च के बारे में निर्णय करेगी।

चिदंबरम ने बताया कि विधि एवं न्याय मंत्रालय से सलाह करके जाति आधारित आँकड़े एकत्र करने के लिये समुचित कानूनी व्यवस्था की जाएगी। भारतीय महापंजीयक एवं जनगणना आयुक्त के कार्यालय द्वारा यह जनगणना कराई जाएगी। इसके लिए विशेषज्ञों के दल बनाए जाएँगे जो जाति के आधार पर ब्यौरे उपलब्ध कराएँगे। आजादी के बाद देश में पहली बार जातिगत आधार पर जनगणना का निर्णय लिया गया है1 इससे पहले वर्ष 1931 में जाति आधारित जनगणना कराई गई थी।

इस बार संसद में विपक्षी दलों ने 2010 की जनगणना में जाति आधारित ब्यौरे भी एकत्र करने की माँग की थी जिस पर सरकार ने विचार करने के केंद्रीय वित्त मंत्री प्रणव मुखर्जी की अध्यक्षता में एक मंत्रिसमूह गठित किया था। इस समूह ने सभी दलों से अलग राय लेने के बाद जाति आधारित जनगणना कराने की सिफारिश की।

Cabinet clears caste census, to happen in 2011

The Union Cabinet has approved inclusion of caste in census. The exercise will be held independently from next year. This was decided by the Cabinet meeting chaired by PM Manmohan Singh today.
Government sources said the door-to-door census — where enumerators would only ask respondents their caste — would cost the exchequer about R2,000 crore. This will be in addition to the R2,200 crore to be spent on the decadal, and more comprehensive, headcount.
This would mean there could be two population figures. One would be thrown up by the decadal headcount and another generated when the caste count is held. "The first one will be treated as the base, credible population figure," a government official said.
While people would be free not to report their caste, fears that some communities would exaggerate their numbers — as happened in Nagaland in the 2001 census — has forced the government to conduct the headcount twice.

अब गिनती के बाद पूछी जाएगी जाति

जनगणना के साथ ही जाति पूछने के फैसले से केंद्र सरकार ने अब कदम वापस खींचने का फैसला किया है। जातीय जनगणना में व्यावहारिक दिक्कतों पर गृह मंत्रालय की आपत्तियों के मद्देनजर अब जनगणना के बाद जातीय गणना कराई जाएगी। गुरुवार को कैबिनेट में इस नए फैसले को मंजूरी के आसार हैं। अलग से जातीय जनगणना पर करीब 2,000 करोड़ रुपये खर्च होने का अनुमान है।
सरकार का एक वर्ग हालांकि, अलग से जातीय गणना में समय और धन की बर्बादी रोकने के लिए जनगणना के साथ ही इसे कराने का पक्षधर था। इस वर्ग को यह भी आशंका है कि अलग से जातीय गणना के फैसले से इसमें अनावश्यक देर होगी। इसके बावजूद, गृह मंत्रालय जनगणना के साथ जातीय गणना कराने पर तैयार नहीं है। उसने इस प्रक्रिया को लेकर हाथ खड़े कर दिए हैं। गृह मंत्रालय का साफ कहना था कि एक साथ ये दोनों काम नहीं हो सकते, इससे जनगणना का काम काफी पीछे चला जाएगा। इसके बाद प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह को दखल देना पड़ा।
चूंकि, पिछड़ा वर्ग लॉबी और भाजपा समेत ज्यादातर राजनीतिक दल अब जातीय जनगणना के पक्ष में मत दे चुके थे, लिहाजा इससे पीछे हटने का सरकार के पास कोई रास्ता नहीं बचा था। लिहाजा, जनगणना में देरी न हो, इसके मद्देनजर अब सरकार ने तय किया है कि ये दोनों काम अलग-अलग हों। वर्ष 2011 से पहले जनगणना का काम पहले से नियत कार्यक्रम पर किया जाएगा। इसमें एक चरण का काम यानी घरों के सर्वेक्षण सरकार कर चुकी है। अब लोगों की शिक्षा और अन्य अहम जानकारियां ली जाएंगीं लेकिन, इसमें जो जाति का कॉलम जोड़ा जा रहा था, वह नहीं होगा। अब जनगणना का काम खत्म होने के बाद जातीय गणना के लिए अलग से अभियान चलाया जाएगा। ऐसे में, जातीय आंकड़े 2013 से पहले आने की उम्मीद कम ही है।

Urban slum population to be 93.06 million by next year

There has been a growth of 17.8 million in urban slum population of the country in the last decade, according to a government committee formed to create a "reliable statistical model" of enumerating people living in such areas.

The Committee headed by Pranob Sen, Principal Advisor to the Planning Commission, states that the projected slum population in the country for the year 2011 would be 93.06 million from the 75.26 million estimated in 2001.

However, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja said such a trend was expected due to increase in urbanisation but assured that the percentage of slums will come down due to government programmes for slum-development.

The Committee's report, submitted on August 30 to her Ministry, also gave a broader definition of slums to replace the existing one used by Census of India and the states. "The Committee suggested to adopt a normative definition based on appropriate indicators and checklists for the purpose of identification of slum areas and enumeration of population of area with 20-25 households having slum-like characteristics in an enumeration block in census 2011," Selja said. All clusters of 20-25 or more households having no roofs or non-concrete roofs, and not having any facility of drinking water, toilets or drainage would be considered as slums. Earlier, the cluster size for identification of slums was 60 households.

The minister said there was "paucity of correct data earlier" as small towns were left out. The new definition would serve as a guideline for Slum Census 2011 and also help in better implementation and wider coverage under the Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum-dwellers.

Selja said the Committee has recommended that for policy formulation purposes- for Slum Census 2011- it is absolutely essential to "count the slum population even in cities having less than 20,000 population". The Sen Committee applied its statistical model in all 5,161 urban areas of the country, including 3,799 statutory towns, Selja said.

The Committee has recommended that the Registrar General of India should share with HUPA the layout maps when they are released, for use in planning purposes and as an aid to slum surveys. "The Ministry would work closely with the RGI to carry out the ground verification of slum clusters within the identified enumeration blocks to finalise the Master Frame of slums in the country," Selja said.

Caste census to be held independently as a seperate exercise

India will go for a stand-alone caste census, likely to be held in mid-2011.
The home ministry has sought cabinet approval for an independent caste count to be conducted around June 2011, four months after the decadal headcount is completed through February.
The proposal is grounded in the recommendations of the Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that was tasked to take a call on the modalities of counting castes. Mukherjee told Lok Sabha this week that the GoM had decided to go for “house enumeration” and the government had more or less decided on the modalities.
The Union Cabinet is expected to seal the plan at its next meeting. The data collection and colla-tion exercise is expected to be completed in three to four months.
Government sources said the door-to-door census — where enumerators would only ask respondents their caste — would cost the exchequer about R2,000 crore. This will be in addition to the R2,200 crore to be spent on the decadal, and more comprehensive, headcount.
This would mean there could be two population figures. One would be thrown up by the decadal headcount and another generated when the caste count is held. "The first one will be treated as the base, credible population figure," a government official said.
While people would be free not to report their caste, fears that some communities would exaggerate their numbers — as happened in Nagaland in the 2001 census — has forced the government to conduct the headcount twice.

OBC MPs meet PM, raises issue of caste in census

The issue of inclusion of caste in census was raised by OBC MPs belonging to all parties with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today.

The MPs, part of the Parliamentary forum of OBC MPs, also told Singh that there was an urgent need to constitute a Parliamentary Committee for OBCs on the lines of the one for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. This was needed to ensure the implementation of reservation to OBCs and see that their grievances are redressed fairly in all government departments, they said.

The MPs also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister complaining that the National Commission for Backward Classes does not have any powers to inquire and investigate into the representations by OBC associations or employees. While money is being spent by the government on the scheme for OBCs, there is no mechanism to monitor as to whether it really reaches the deserving OBC people, they felt.

"Even in respect of providing 27 per cent reservation in education, where the UPA government has earmarked a huge sum of Rs 17000 crore...to enable OBC students to enter into higher educational institutions, we have received lots of representations that the directives of the HRD ministry are being violated and the seats alloted to OBCs are being transferred to general categories," the memorandum said. The Prime Minister has assured the delegation that he will refer this matter to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, sources said.

Why wait for Centre's caste census?' asks Ramadoss

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK and the PMK are locking horns over the issue of the state government conducting its own castewise census instead of waiting for the Centre to include caste as a parameter in its ongoing nationwise census operation.

While chief minister M Karunanidhi has rejected the demand from PMK founder S Ramadoss that the State should go ahead with its own castewise enumeration, the PMK leader on Wednesday joined issue with him and came up with arguments in favour of a state-level initiative. "I don't have to nod in agreement whenever Ramadoss makes some demand. Caste-based census is something that the DMK has accepted. However, when there are efforts at a national level to include caste in the census process, we don't want to have our own enumeration as it will interfere with the Union government's exercise," Karunanidhi told on Tuesday.

However, the PMK founder appealed to the DMK regime not to wait indefinitely for the Centre to make up its mind on the issue. "The Union government is only considering a request from some political parties for a caste-based census and is under no great compulsion to exert itself in this regard. However, there is a duty cast on the Tamil Nadu government to abide by the Supreme Court's order in July seeking relevant data to justify its 69% total reservation," Ramadoss said.

He recalled that the apex court had permitted the state to retain its present level of reservation but had given a year's time to come up with data on the caste composition of the population and submit the details to the backward classes commission so that the BC panel could fix a percentage of reservation in tune with the state's requirements. "If the state government doesn't complete the exercise within a year, there is every possibility that the court may decide that the state has failed to justify its present level of reservation and render an adverse verdict," he warned. "Any regime interested in upholding social justice ought to have utilised this opportunity and ordered a caste-wise census the very next day. The Puducherry government has decided to have its own census without anybody making a demand in this regard. And it has already decided to formulate a new reservation policy based on the census," he pointed out.

लिंग बदलवाने वालों की जनगणना में अलग श्रेणी

नई दिल्ली.महापंजीयक द्वारा गठित तकनीकी सलाहकार समिति ने लिंग परिवर्तन कराने वालों (ट्रांसजेंडर्स) को जनगणना में अलग श्रेणी में रखने की सिफारिश की है। फिलहाल उनकी गणना पुरुष के तौर पर की जाती है।

बरेली स्थित गैर सरकारी संगठन एसएसएफए-ईएसएफआई के डॉ. एसई हुडा को सूचना के अधिकार के तहत यह जानकारी दी गई। तकनीकी समिति की सिफारिश सरकार को भेजी गई है। यह सिफारिश मंजूर होने पर सर्जरी से लिंग बदलवाने वालों को जनगणना में कोड ‘तीन’ दिया जाएगा। पुरुषों का कोड ‘एक’ और महिलाओं का कोड ‘दो’ रहेगा।

इस बीच, योजना आयोग ने भी यूनिक आइडेंटिफिकेशन परियोजना में लिंग बदलवाने वालों की अलग श्रेणी बनाने की सिफारिश की है। गैर सरकारी संगठन ने इस बारे में प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय, राष्ट्रपति सचिवालय, गृह मंत्रालय और महापंजीयक से आग्रह किया था। इसके अलावा सुप्रीम कोर्ट में भी यचिका लगाई है।

Government may conduct fresh exercise for Caste Census

The Government is looking at the option of introducing a fresh exercise exclusively for “caste Census” in 2011. Government sources said that the move is under consideration of the home ministry after political parties like the RJD,SP, BSP opposed the proposal for introducing a caste count at the “biometric” stage in the ongoing Census 2011 exercise, arguing that the OBCs and SC/STs in backward and far-flung regions will not be able to visit the biometric centres and may even face discrimination there.

The government had sought views of political parties on the issue. However, a decision on how and when to conduct a caste census will be a taken by the government by arriving at a political consensus on the issue. Till now the government had been looking at two options of introducing the caste count either during the “headcount” in the second phase of the ongoing census exercise or at the biometric stage starting November 2010 when camps will be set up collect fingerprints and iris scan of residents.

“If there is no consensus on both these fronts, then we may need to introduce a separate exercise next year for a caste census,” a government official said. The official pointed out that such a move would cost the government Rs 4,000 crores and require the participation of 28 lakh officials once again. “We will need to work from scratch from printing of forms and conducting the caste enumeration exercise,” the official added.

While the Opposition and OBC parties are mounting pressure on the Manmohan Singh government to take up the caste headcount in the second phase of the census exercise, instead of the biometric stage, the Left parties have proposed that the caste census should ensure a “scientific count” of Other Backward Classes (OBC).The Group of Ministers constituted to look into the matter had earlier recommended that caste information can be recorded in the last stage of Census 2011 when biometric information will be gathered.

Caste census: 'Don’t wait for biometric stage'

CHENNAI: Reiterating his commitment towards caste-based census, Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to incorporate caste details in the ongoing census instead of postponing it to the biometric stage.
Karunanidhi, in his letter dated August 14 to the Prime Minister, said, “A few changes in the existing format will be sufficient to achieve the objective of caste-based census and complete the task early.’’
“I firmly believe that the caste-based census will certainly go a long way in ensuring that the fruits of various developmental schemes implemented by the Union government and State governments fully percolate down to the lower strata of the society,’’ Karunanidhi said.

Take up caste census now: OBC leaders

NEW DELHI: The Opposition and OBC parties on Thursday mounted pressure on the Manmohan Singh government to take up the caste headcount in the second phase of the census exercise, instead of the biometric stage.

After an uproar led by the members belonging to the OBC in the Lok Sabha, leaders of BJP, SP, JD-U, RJD and BSP met finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and home minister P Chidambaram. They told the ministers that taking up caste census in the biometric stage would defeat the purpose as it would be a long-drawn process. According to sources, the two leaders said that they will place the proposal of caste enumeration during the second phase before the Cabinet.

The Opposition is confident that the government will find it difficult to turn down its demand on the premise that it cannot afford to anger ‘Backward Classes’. While responding to members’ allegations in the House that the government was trying to “befool” the people, Mr Mukherjee said that the modalities of caste enumeration had not been decided. He said the Group of Ministers (GoM) looking into the demand for a caste-based census had agreed to go ahead with it, but the final decision on “how and when” will have to be taken by the Cabinet.

The members of the ‘social justice’ parties were on their feet as soon as Speaker Meira Kumar finished reading obituary references after the House met for the day. JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP MP Dara Singh Chauhan and RJD leader Lalu Prasad alleged that the government was trying to delay the caste headcount exercise by including it in the biometric phase, which was a “long-drawn” process. “This exercise cannot be completed in 100 years. The decision to hand out voter identity cards was taken 15 years ago and has not been implemented completely,” Mr Sharad Yadav said.

Mr Mukherjee, who headed the GoM, said it was decided that caste will be canvassed without affecting the integrity of the headcount. “The decision on the mechanism will have to be taken formally. The decision will be taken by the Cabinet. When the Cabinet meets and takes a decision, we will inform you,” he said. The ministerial panel had on Wednesday recommended that caste information can be recorded in the last stage of Census 2011 when biometric information will be gathered. The biometric parameters include photographs, fingerprints and iris-mapping of citizens which will be collected for the NPR to create a multi-purpose unique identity card. The first stage of the census — the household and family survey — which began on April one is nearly over and the second phase has begun.

जाति जनगणना को मंज़ूरी

कई महीनों की बहस और अनिश्चितता के बाद आख़िर केंद्र के मंत्रिमंडल समूह ने जाति आधारित जनगणना को मंज़ूरी दे दी है.
वित्तमंत्री प्रणव मुखर्जी के नेतृत्व वाले मंत्रिमंडल समूह ने निर्णय लेने की समय सीमा ख़त्म होने के बाद हुई एक बैठक में इसे मंज़ूरी दे दी है.
फ़ैसला किया गया है कि जाति आधारित जनगणना बायोमिट्रिक जनगणना का दौर शुरु होने के साथ ही शुरु होगा.
बायोमिट्रिक जनगणना का दौर दिसंबर से शुरु होने की उम्मीद है. इसमें 15 वर्ष और उससे अधिक उम्र के लोगों की फ़ोटो, उंगलियों के निशान और आँखों की पुतलियों की तस्वीरें ली जाएँगी.

जातिगत गणना पर सहमति के आसार

देश में बहस का कारण बने जातिगत जनगणना के मुद्दे पर यूपीए सरकार और विपक्ष में आम सहमति बनने के आसार हैं। इस मुद्दे पर विचार के लिए सोमवार रात कांग्रेस कोर गु्रप की बैठक हुई। समझा जाता है कि प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह और कांग्रेस प्रमुख सोनिया गांधी की उपस्थिति में आयोजित इस बैठक में जातिगत जनगणना पर आगे बढ़ने का फैसला हुआ है।

प्रमुख विपक्षी दल भाजपा ने भी लंबे उहापोह के बाद जनगणना में जाति को शामिल करने पर रजामंदी जताई है। गौरतलब है कि संसद के बजट सत्र में सपा, जद (यू) और राजद ने जाति आधारित जनगणना की पुरजोर मांग की थी। इस मुद्दे पर राजनेताओं की अलग-अलग राय से मामला उलझ गया था। सरकार ने आम राय बनाने के लिए मंत्रियों के समूह (जीओएम) को यह मुद्दा सौंप दिया था। वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी की अध्यक्षता वाले जीओएम ने जातिगत जनगणना के मुद्दे पर लगभग सभी दलों से राय जानी है। जीओएम अब विचारों पर चर्चा के लिए जल्द ही बैठक करेगा।

सभी दलों को सात अगस्त तक इस मुद्दे पर राय देने को कहा गया था। क्या कांग्रेस ने अपने विचारों से जीओएम को अवगत करा दिया है, इसका सीधा जवाब देने से बचते हुए मुखर्जी ने कहा, ‘मैं कांग्रेस का प्रतिनिधि हूं। मैं कांग्रेस से बाहर नहीं हूं।’ इसके यह मायने हैं कि जीओएम की बैठक से पहले मुखर्जी, कांग्रेस के विचारों से अवगत करा सकते हैं। भाजपा ने राष्ट्रीय महत्व के किसी मुद्दे पर शायद पहली बार अपने मातृ संगठन आरएसएस से अलग रुख अपनाया है। लोकसभा में विपक्ष की नेता सुषमा स्वराज ने कहा कि जाति आधारित जनगणना के मुद्दे पर गठित जीओएम के अध्यक्ष प्रणब मुखर्जी को पार्टी की ओर से पत्र संघ से बातचीत के बाद लिखा गया। उन्होंने कहा कि इस मुद्दे पर पार्टी की संघ से असहमति है। संघ का मानना है कि अनुसूचित जाति और अनुसूचित जनजाति की तरह अगर ओबीसी श्रेणी में जनगणना होती है तो इससे समाज में और दरार पैदा होगी।

Caste count may figure at last stage of Census

Digvijay Singh, the AICC general secretary, on Thursday called for caste census as the proponents of caste enumeration in the national headcount moved to nudge the Centre ahead of a decision on the contentious issue by a group of ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee.

Digviajy Singh was upfront in demanding caste census as he said that all political parties had accepted caste as a reality with Mandal commission. Releasing a book "Caste Census: Towards an Inclusive India" by S Japhet and Chandan Gowda of National Law School University, Bangalore, Singh said the country wished a "casteless society" but could not wish away the fact that caste remains a ground reality. "I do not understand the opposition to it," he said.

Singh's advocacy of caste census came as chairman of National Commission for Backward Classes MN Rao said opposition to the move could be a ploy to get the reservation policy scrapped. He said the Supreme Court has repeatedly sniggered at backward reservation being implemented without ascertainable data of the target groups and not holding the census could lead to scrapping of reservation altogether.

Sources said Congress is likely to settle for caste census. The caste enumeration may be included at the time of collection of biometric data in the decennial census, the last stage of the exercise. The inclusion of caste at the biometric stage will also allay fears that a motivation to inflate figures among the interested caste groups will compromise the important census data. Till then, Congress is keeping silent on the issue in view of divisions within.

RSS shows BJP the way out on caste census

A way out seems to have opened up for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was caught between its own stand in Parliament favouring a caste-based census and that of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which had come out strongly against the proposal.
With four days to go before the BJP leadership responds to the government's query on its stand — which it wants from the party in writing — it seems the RSS may not, after all, stand in the BJP's way of its favouring a caste-based census.
At a meeting of Sangh Parivar associations chaired by the RSS two days ago, members from different Sangh affiliates expressed their views in some detail on the caste question. The meeting was of its cultural department — and it was decided that there might be no harm done if an “all-caste census” was undertaken.

Caste census: BJP, RSS narrow down differences

NEW DELHI: Narrowing down their differences, the BJP and the RSS may agree on the inclusion of the caste column in the Census 2011.
According to sources, while earlier the RSS was opposed to the inclusion of caste as well as the OBC column in the census, it is now veering around the view that it may agree on caste, but not the OBC column. The final view would be taken at the core group meeting of the party, convened by BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Friday. What compels the party to take a stand on the issue urgently is that it has to send in its views to the GoM on caste census, headed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee by Saturday.
The issue of caste census figured in the BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, chaired by parliamentary party chairman L K Advani.
Two party MPs, Raghunandan Sharma and Sumitra Mahajan, who attended a Sangh Parivar brainstorming recently, informed the party leadership that the Sangh view was not to accept an OBC-based census, as it would create confusion. If the choice is on having columns for the SC, ST and the OBC, or merely to have a caste column, the party should go in for the latter option of seeking a caste column.
The Sangh view is that there is no uniformity in the OBC list. Naik, for instance is tribal in Maharashtra, while in other states it is listed under OBC. As such, it may only lead to greater confusion.
Initially, when the BJP supported the caste-based census, the RSS openly made known its opposition to it. The RSS opposition was articulated by a top RSS functionary Bhaiyaji Joshi. After that, there were several meetings within the party to sort out the issue. The Sangh also has been discussing the issue. Now that the Sangh has indicated its line, the BJP is expected to toe the same.
In his letter of July 7 to Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Pranab Mukherjee indicated a four-week timeframe for the BJP to respond by sending in the party’s views to the GoM on the issue.
So, the BJP has to respond by August 7. The GoM was set up after the Union Cabinet failed to arrive at a view on the issue. The GoM, at its first meeting on July 1, decided to seek the views of the political parties represented in Parliament, before finalising its report to the Union Cabinet.
“The replies received from the political parties will be taken into account by the GoM before it submits its report to the Cabinet,” Pranab Mukherjee informed Sushma Swaraj.

SP, RJD protest ‘sabotage’ of caste census, stage LS walkout

The SP and RJD staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Monday accused the government of dithering on caste census.

Speaking during zero hour, SP member Shailendra Kumar attacked the government for not going ahead with a census of OBCs and called it a step backward. He said it was a unique opportunity to acquire important data on the backwards. He said the government seemed to be in two minds on the issue.

As soon as he finished speaking, SP and RJD members began shouting slogans decrying the government’s attempt to ‘sabotage’ caste census. “Either enumerate the backwards or stop census,” they shouted. SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav led the walkout. The RJD side was led by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh since Lalu Prasad was not present.

Meanwhile, with political parties expected to respond to the Centre’s inquiry on their views regarding inclusion of caste in the ongoing census by August 7, BJP is expected to stick to its stated position supporting the move to enumerate caste. Sources said the BJP core was expected to meet on August 6 to take a final view on a divisive issue which has seen the RSS oppose a caste based census. Within the BJP, the divisions are clear enough as is the case in Congress with OBC leaders supporting the move and others being lukewarm.

March against caste-based Census

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of intellectuals, writers, artists, students and leaders representing various walks of civil society took out a protest march against the inclusion of caste in the census 2011 on Wednesday.

The march was led by Dr V P Vaidik, founder and national convener of Meri Jati Hindustani Movement. The march was taken out from Barakhamba Road and culminated at Jantar Mantar, where a public meeting was convened. Former ministers Balram Jakhar, Ram Jethmalani, Arif M Khan and former chief of joint intelligence, R K Madhok, and dancer Uma Sharma among others also joined the protesters.

Addressing the gathering, Jethmalani said that he was ready to shed the last drop of his blood to fight for this noble cause. He also quoted a letter of erstwhile leader of East India Company, Lord Clive, who had said that as long as caste system is alive in India, there is no threat to the British Empire. "The caste in the census will create a new monster which will demolish a modern India. Every right-thinking Indian must oppose this regressive idea,'' said Jethmalani.

Khan said that caste enumeration is a case of bad mathematics. It is unscientific. It will not benefit the poor. It will serve the narrow purpose of the creamy layers of the backward people. Other speakers noted that to divide India on the basis of caste would be a big embarrassment for an emerging world power like India.

हाउस वाइफ की हैसियत

हाउस वाइफ की हैसियत 26 Jul 2010, 0010 hrs IST,नवभारत टाइम्स
सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने हाल के एक फैसले में गृहिणियों को लेकर जो टिप्पणी की है, उससे न सिर्फ नीति-निर्माताओं
की बल्कि पूरे समाज की आंखें खुल जानी चाहिए। कोर्ट ने कहा कि एक हाउस वाइफ के काम को अनुत्पादक मानना महिलाओं के प्रति भेदभाव को दर्शाता है। दुर्भाग्य से यह भेदभाव समाज में तो है ही सरकार के स्तर पर भी है। कोर्ट ने इस बात पर हैरानी जताई कि जनगणना तक में घरेलू महिलाओं के प्रति पक्षपातपूर्ण रवैया झलकता है। 2001 की जनगणना में खाना पकाने, बर्तन साफ करने, बच्चों की देखभाल करने, पानी लाने, जलावन एकत्र करने जैसे घरेलू काम करने वाली महिलाओं को गैर-श्रमिक वर्ग में शामिल किया गया है और उनकी तुलना भिखारियों, वेश्याओं और कैदियों जैसे अनुत्पादक समझे जाने वाले वर्ग से की गई है। इस दृष्टिकोण को पूरी तरह गलत बताते हुए अदालत ने उस रिसर्च की चर्चा की जिसमें भारत की करीब 36 करोड़ गृहिणियों के कार्यों का वार्षिक मूल्य लगभग 612.8 अरब डॉलर आंका गया है। कोर्ट ने कहा कि संसद को कानूनों में संशोधन करना चाहिए ताकि दुर्घटना या वैवाहिक संपत्ति के बंटवारे के समय उनके कार्यों का वैज्ञानिक नजरिए से मूल्यांकन संभव हो सके। कोर्ट ने एक दुर्घटना में मारी गई उत्तर प्रदेश की रेणु के परिजनों को दी जाने वाली मुआवजे की राशि ढाई लाख से बढ़ाकर साढ़े छह लाख रुपये करने का आदेश देते हुए यह विस्तृत टिप्पणी की। दरअसल उसने एक सामाजिक सच की ओर हमारा ध्यान खींचा है। घरेलू काम की कीमत न आंके जाने के कारण ही स्त्रियां उपेक्षित रही हैं। दरअसल हमारे पुरुष प्रधान समाज में हाउस वाइफ के कार्यों को दोयम दर्जे का समझा जाता है और यह माना जाता है कि यह सब तो उन्हें किसी भी हाल में करना ही है। लेकिन बदले में उन्हें अपेक्षित सम्मान और स्नेह तक नहीं मिलता। यह स्थिति उन्हें शारीरिक और मानसिक रूप से तोड़ देती है। सचाई यह है कि परिवार और समाज की नींव महिलाओं के उन कार्यों पर टिकी है, जो कहीं दर्ज नहीं होते। ग्रामीण जीवन में तो महिलाओं के योगदान के बगैर कृषि कार्य संभव ही नहीं हैं। शहरों में भी स्थिति अलग नहीं है। हाल के वर्षों में शिक्षित औरतों के एक बड़े तबके ने रोजी-रोजगार के नए-नए क्षेत्रों में प्रवेश किया है लेकिन एक बड़ी संख्या उनकी भी है, जिन्होंने सोच-समझकर हाउस वाइफ रहना स्वीकार किया है ताकि वे घर-परिवार को पर्याप्त समय दे सकें और अपने बच्चों का भविष्य बना सकें। वे रोजमर्रा के जीवन को बेहतर बनाने के लिए जो योगदान दे रही हैं उसका महत्व किसी भी रूप में कम नहीं है।

Census 2011 stalls BPL headcount

Census 2011 has unintentionally stalled the below-poverty-line (BPL) headcount for the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
Officials of the rural development ministry found to their dismay that the census operation clashed with their own efforts to collect data on the below-poverty-line population across the country. Left with no choice, they have deferred the process. It will now be kicked off after next April, when the second stage of Census 2011 draws to a close.

The rural development ministry has been providing financial, logistical and technical support to various states and Union Territories for conducting the below-poverty-line census, which is generally held in the beginning of each Five Year Plan, to "identify rural households living below the poverty line which could be provided assistance under various programmes run by the ministry." These include NREGA, PMGSY and the Indira Awaas Yojana. Identification of the below-poverty-line households plays an important role in selecting right beneficiaries. The below-poverty-line censuses have been so far conducted in 1992, 1997 and 2002 for the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Five Year Plans, respectively. The ministry has, in the meanwhile, decided to utilise the additional time provided to them by identifying, selecting and training the officials and volunteers who are expected to be involved in collecting and compiling the data from all the villages. The rural development ministry had on August 12, 2008, constituted an expert group, headed by Mr N C Saxena, who’s now a member of the National Advisory Council, to advise it on employing the right methodology. The panel submitted its report a year later (August 21, 2009).

The expert group, according to ministry officials, had suggested pre-testing the methodology with alternative methodologies. It has, in keeping with this, decided to undertake a pilot project to zero down on the most appropriate methodology to be employed for the next below-poverty-line headcount. The pilot project would be conducted in 260 villages, cutting across the country.

First phase of Census 2011 concludes in Nagaland

The first phase of the arduous census 2011 in Nagaland is finally over. The department of Census and all government employees involved in the exercise have put in painstaking efforts to bring out a correct census.

Although confronted with multiple problems during the first phase, the department is already gearing up for the second phase which will begin February next year. In the meantime, data for the National Population Register (NPR) will be scanned for the bio-metrics by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi, after being dispatched. The process of scanning the NPR sheets will start by August.

The first phase of census which began on June 1 was not without hurdles. This was the first time such a heavy exercise was being conducted. Data collection for the NPR was introduced for the first time, making it harder for enumerators and supervisors to conduct the exercise. ‘Master trainers’ were introduced to train the enumerators and supervisors on data collection. Community monitors drawn from various tribal organisations were also appointed to assist during campaigns and to spread awareness.

During the census operations, the department confronted cases of population inflation and attempts to increase the number of households. There were reports of highly inflated figures from several pockets of the state. There were also reports of diktats from some village functionaries to citizens living in towns, to enumerate in their respective villages. As a result, under-enumeration was reported from small towns and district headquarters. In this regard, the department has expressed fear of a demographic change. There was also confusion about the census with the electoral – as the electoral revision was conducted around the same time. In some areas, trainings had to be reconducted because enumerators were confused about the proper use of NPR sheets. Apart from few stray incidents, enumerations were generally carried out smoothly. Nodal officers were posted in all districts to assess the situation. Further, the department has taken all corrective measures possible in areas that reported inflation and increase in household numbers.

Despite the hurdles, the Director of Census Operation, Hekali Zhimomi has expressed optimism and satisfaction in the first phase of the census. She said the department is already gearing up for the second phase. The second phase is slated for February 9 to 28, 2011. It will be followed by revision (to include death and birth) on April, followed by the bio-metrics.

SC ruling may result in caste census

The demand for caste census is likely to get a fillip with the Supreme Court on Tuesday appearing to draw a link between OBC population and quantum of reservation for backward classes.

Coming just ahead of Parliament's monsoon session where proponents of caste census are set to renew their pitch, the order allowing Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to continue reservations exceeding the SC's 50% cap can inspire pro-Mandal players to push anew for an exercise to determine the exact population of backward castes. The SC relief is laden with possibilities, the biggest being a political justification for OBC satraps who have chafed at the 50% cap.

The fresh linkage between population and reservation quantum, even if not final, comes just when OBC satraps have stepped up pressure for caste census. The delay and the voices of opposition from Congress ranks have led them to fear that government could be backpedalling.

With Parliament session looming, the government may find itself under more pressure from backward outfits like SP and RJD who it needs on its side to boost its numbers. While the proponents of caste census have argued that enumeration of OBCs was required to better target the policies of OBC welfare, like knowing the size of the OBC group would help in determining the funds for welfare schemes, suspicions remain that the demand is actually driven by quota considerations.

The anti-caste census camp believes that the `Q' word has been avoided as it would have invited resistance from non-reserved communities and mired the issue in controversy. But the ruling is a welcome relief for Congress vis-a-vis coalition politics.

Deadline over, first phase of Ceunss yet to be completed in UP

Even after the June 30-deadline, the first phase of Census 2010 is far from over in the big towns of Uttar Pradesh. According to Census officials, the first phase — which includes data collection for Housing Census, House Listing and National Population Register (NPR) — is yet to be completed in towns where municipal corporations are handling the task.
Last week, after receiving reports on the tardy progress of the project, the state Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) had approached the state government seeking its intervention. On the DCO’s request, the government on Monday asked all divisional commissioners to direct the district magistrates to complete the exercise at the earliest.
“In almost all districts, the first phase of the Census has been completed. But the progress is tardy in municipal corporations, including Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Ghaziabad,” said A M Ansari, Deputy Director of the state DCO.
Among other municipal corporations, the first phase of the project has been completed only in Moradabad and Bareilly. The exercise is nearing completion in Agra, Aligarh, Meerut, Saharanpur and Gorakhpur. “We have requested the state government to issue directives in this regard to the divisional commissioners during their monthly review meeting in July,” said Ansari.
Last Saturday, the DCO had held a meeting with its in-charges in 71 districts to review the progress of the project. “We have received reports that enumeration is complete in almost everywhere except in big towns. While in a few towns, the enumerators did not show interest in the exercise in the beginning, at other places, they were not aware about the given areas — thus resulting in the delay,” said a DCO official.
According to sources, the helpline at the DCO office in Lucknow is still receiving complaints from people that enumerators have not reached their localities for survey. In the last one week, such complaints have poured mostly from Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi.
After the completion of the field survey, the district in-charges will submit the data by the end of this month. While the data of 46 districts will be brought to the Lucknow office, the remaining will be sent to New Delhi. “In the next six months, the data will be scanned and analysed. Then it will be used to prepare the report on Housing Census and House Listing as well as NPR,” said Ansari. The second phase of Census will begin in February 2011.

PM और मंत्री-समूह से जाति जनगणना का विरोध करने की अपील

नई दिल्ली. ‘सबल’ भारत द्वारा संचालित ‘मेरी जाति हिन्दुस्तानी’ आंदोलन ने प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह और जाति जनगणना के मसले पर गठित मंत्री-समूह के अध्यक्ष प्रणव मुखर्जी तथा उसके सदस्यों को पत्र लिखकर अनुरोध किया है कि वे वर्ष २क्११ की जनगणना में जाति को शामिल करने का फैसला न करें।आंदोलन के राष्ट्रीय संयोजक डॉ. वेदप्रताप वैदिक की ओर से भेजे गए पत्र में कहा गया है कि जाति जनगणना जैसे गंभीर मामले में जल्दबाजी में फैसला लेना देशहित में नहीं होगा। पत्र में इस मसले पर समाज के सभी वर्गो के प्रबुद्ध लोगों की राय का उल्लेख करते हुए बताया गया है कि गृह राज्यमंत्री अजय माकन ने जाति जनगणना का विरोध किया है।
लोकसभा अध्यक्ष मीरा कुमार, भाजपा नेता मुरली मनोहर जोशी, राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ के सरसंचालक मोहन भागवत, शिवसेना प्रमुख बाल ठाकरे, शिरोमणि गुरुद्वारा प्रबंधक कमेटी ने भी जाति जनगणना को देश के लिए खतरनाक बताया है। ‘सबल’ भारत के साथ जुड़े सोमनाथ चटर्जी, बलराम जाखड़, वसंत साठे, जगमोहन और डॉ कपिला वात्स्यायन जैसे लोगों ने भी जाति जनगणना को अनावश्यक बताया है।
जस्टिस केएस वर्मा, जस्टिस राजेंद्र सच्चर, राम जेठमलानी, फली नरीमन और सोली सोराबजी ने भी इसे देश के लिए विघटनकारी बताया है। देश के प्रमुख आध्यात्मिक और धार्मिक नेताओं ने जातिवाद को मानव धर्म के खिलाफ घोषित किया है। वैदिक ने मंत्रियों को लिखे अपने पत्र में कहा है कि जाति जनगणना से वंचित वर्गो को लाभ मिलने के बजाए नुकसान होगा।
वंचितों में भी कई ऊंची-नीची जातियां उठ खड़ी होंगी और ऐसे लोग भी विशेष सुविधाओं के लिए दावे करेंगे, जिसकी उन्हें वास्तव में जरूरत नहीं है। उन्होंने पत्र के अंत में लिखा है, ‘अगर देश की गरीबी दूर करना है तो जातियों के आंकड़े इकट्ठा करने की बजाए गरीबी के आंकड़े और कारणों की खोज की जानी चाहिए। यही वैज्ञानिक जनगणना है।’

जाति आधारित जनगणना में देरी पर सरकार का होगा भारी विरोध: शरद

जदयू अध्यक्ष शरद यादव ने कहा है कि जाति के आधार पर जनगणना में और ‘‘देरी’’ हुयी तो सरकार को संयुक्त विपक्ष के विरोध का सामना करना पड़ेगा और उनकी पार्टी महिला आरक्षण विधेयक को उसके मौजूदा स्वरूप में विरोध करती रहेगी.
जाति के आधार पर जनगणना में देरी को लेकर केंद्र सरकार की खिंचाई करते हुए यादव ने कहा, ‘‘जनगणना में जाति को शामिल किए जाने पर राजग एवं संप्रग दोनों में पूर्ण सहमति है. एक दो सदस्यों को छोड़कर कांग्रेस में इसका व्यापक समर्थन है. अगर वे देरी के लिए बहाना बनाते हैं तो इसे स्वीकार नहीं किया जाएगा.’’ उन्होंने साक्षात्कार में कहा कि इस मुद्दे पर मंत्रियों के समूह के गठन को लेकर संदेह पैदा होता है कि सरकार इसमें देर करना चाहती है.
यादव ने हाल ही में आरोप लगाया था कि केंद्र सरकार मामले में देर करना चाहती है. महिला आरक्षण विधेयक के मुद्दे पर उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘मौजूदा स्वरूप में विधेयक को समर्थन देने का सवाल ही नहीं है. इस संबंध में हमारा विरोध नया नहीं है. हम इसका खुलेआम विरोध कर रहे हैं. कांग्रेस सहित विभिन्न दलों में अधिकतर नेता इसे नहीं चाहते लेकिन वे सार्वजनिक रूप से इसे व्यक्त नहीं कर सकते.’’
यादव ने कहा, ‘‘सवाल संप्रग या राजग का नहीं है. अगर पार्टियां व्हिप जारी नहीं करती हैं तो विधेयक गिर जाएगा. उसे कहीं से समर्थन नहीं मिलेगा.’’ उन्होंने याद किया कि वित्त मंत्री प्रणव मुखर्जी ने उन्हें और मौजूदा स्वरूप में विधेयक का विरोध करने वाले अन्य लोगों को आश्वस्त किया था कि इस संबंध में एक सर्वदलीय बैठक के बाद ही फैसला किया जाएगा.
यह पूछे जाने पर कि अगले सत्र के दौरान लोकसभा में विधेयक पेश किए जाने पर विपक्ष की क्या प्रतिक्रिया होगी, यादव ने कहा, ‘‘वे इस प्रकार कैसे विधेयक पारित करवा सकते हैं. इसका लोकसभा में भारी विरोध होगा. यह राज्यसभा नहीं है जहां उन्होंने नौ मार्च को मार्शल की मदद से सदस्यों को बाहर कर विधेयक पारित करवा लिया.’’ यादव ने उच्च सदन में विधेयक के पारित होने के दौरान पार्टी के अंदर मतभेद उभरने की बात को बहुत तवज्जो नहीं दी.

'स्कूल चलें हम'सर्वे जनगणना की तर्ज पर

इंदौर. 'स्कूल चलें हम' अभियान का सर्वेक्षण पूरी तरह जनगणना की तर्ज पर ही किया जाएगा। जनगणना में लगे कर्मचारियों को ही यह काम सौंप दिया है। विभाग ने इसका तारीखवार कार्यक्रम भी जारी कर दिया है। यह प्रदेशभर में लागू है। शहरों में कामकाजी बच्चों की अधिकता देखते हुए विभाग ने उन्हें विशेष प्राथमिकता देने के लिए कहा है। राज्य शिक्षा केंद्र ने सभी कलेक्टर व निगमायुक्त को सर्वेक्षण संबंधी आदेश भेजे है। इसमें कहा गया है सर्वे के दौरान मतदाता सूची का प्रयोग जरूर होगा। साथ ही शहरी क्षेत्रों में प्लेटफार्म, दुकानों, बस स्टैंड और सार्वजनिक स्थानों पर काम करने वाले बच्चों पर विशेष ध्यान दिया जाएगा। 31 जुलाई तक सर्वे होगा। इसके बाद 15 अगस्त तक प्रत्येक बच्चे की एंट्री विभाग के पोर्टल पर करना होगी।

Caste census issue in limbo as no consensus among parties

NEW DELHI: With the GoM failing to take a clear stand on caste-based census at its first meeting held on Thursday, and Congress refusing to take a call, the demand, it would appear, has been put in a limbo.

The Opposition, on its part, has made it clear that it’ll not bail the government out on the issue. The GoM, which met here for an hour-and-a-half on Thursday evening, was, it is learnt, split on the issue. With consensus eluding the ministerial group, it was decided that other political parties too should be brought into the loop, and their views elicited.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the group, will shortly be writing letters to leaders of various political outfits to seek their opinion. The move, it is learnt, has been prompted by two considerations. After displaying an initial burst of enthusiasm on demands for including caste as a reference point in the ongoing census exercise, the government leadership, it is learnt, has developed cold-feet.

By attempting to involve the other political parties in the decision-making process, the GoM, it’d appear, is seeking to buy time. Also, by trying to get other political parties, particularly BJP and the Left parties, on board, the government leadership, it is being argued in some quarters, is reluctant to get all the flak and is, therefore, keen to apportion the blame, should a decision either way become a political hot potato in the future, as had happened in the case of the Telangana controversy. BJP, the country’s principal Opposition party, made it clear on Friday that it was on mood to take the bait. ``The government should first open its cards. After all, a decision on the demand has to be taken by the government. Once a structured view of the government comes to us, only then will we take a call in the light of its response,’’ the party’s chief spokesman, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad told. “After all, on such a sensitive issue, the government itself is speaking in many voices. Congress should first clarify its stand,’’ the BJP spokesman added.

Congress, on its part, opted to remain evasive, refusing to spell out its stand despite persistent queries. ``The GoM is looking in to the issue. From the reports appearing today, it’d appear that the group would elicit the opinion of various political parties on the subject. We’ll articulate our position only when they (the GoM) approach us,’’ party spokesman Manish Tewari said. The Congress leader refused to place his party’s cards on the table, taking refuge behind reports that the GoM would solicit the views of various political parties before formulating its recommendation.

जनगणना पूरी, रिकार्ड जमा होना शुरू

श्रीगंगानगर

जनगणना का पहला चरण पूरा होने के साथ ही तमाम रिकार्ड जिलेभर में चार्ज अधिकारियों के यहां जमा होना शुरू हो गया। यहां शहरी क्षेत्र में हुई जनगणना का रिकार्ड नगर परिषद तथा ग्रामीण क्षेत्र का रिकार्ड तहसील में जमा करवाया जा रहा है।

शहरी क्षेत्र के चार्ज अधिकारी व आयुक्त जीवनदास डगला ने बताया कि कुल 76 प्रगणकों में से 13 का रिकार्ड जमा हो चुका है। रिकार्ड जमा करने के लिए आठ काउंटर स्थापित किए गए हैं और सभी पर एक-एक मास्टर ट्रेनर भी लगाया है। जिला जनगणना अधिकारी आरएस लांबा ने बताया कि जिलेभर में रिकार्ड जमा होने का काम चार जुलाई तक चलेगा। इसके बाद 15 व 16 जुलाई को रिकार्ड पोस्ट ऑफिस विभाग द्वारा जयपुर भेजा जाएगा। सभी प्रगणकों को चेताया गया है कि वे यह रिकार्ड किसी को नहीं दिखाएंगे और न ही किसी को बताएंगे।

Cabinet still divided on caste census

New Delhi: Divided over whether caste should be included in the Census, a Group of Ministers (GoM) has failed to reach a conclusion on the politically-sensitive issue and decided that the government would seek views of political parties on the matter.The parties will be asked to respond within four weeks, the GoM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, decided. The ministerial body discussed the controversial issue in detail for about 90 minutes, deliberating on pros and cons of including caste in census, sources said. Some members of the GoM favoured inclusion of caste while others were opposed, contending that it could harm the social fabric of the country, they said.
"The Group of Ministers discussed threadbare issues before it and decided to meet again... we will meet soon," HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the meeting.Government had last month decided to set up the GoM on the controversial issue after consensus eluded at two meetings of the Union Cabinet.Parties like SP, RJD and JD(U) are strongly in favour of including caste in census and disrupted proceedings of Parliament in the last Budget Session by pressing their demands. They are likely to raise the issue during Monsoon Session of Parliament expected to commence in the third week of this month.There are divisions even within Congress over the issue. Caste census was last conducted in the country in 1931.Besides Mukherjee, the GoM includes Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran. Of them, Moily, who has been the most vocal supporter of including caste in census, left soon after the meeting began.Abdullah, Pawar and Banerjee also did not attend meeting.

The issue of inclusion of caste in census has triggered a debate with a section opposing it saying that it would divide the society on caste lines while others advocate that it would ensure fairer distribution of resources to the backward and downtrodden sections of the society.Reports had it that Chidambaram had suggested that the caste-based census should be included in the second phase of the ongoing census exercise and clubbed with the biometric card data to ease the logistical constraints.

Left out of census? Contact zonal offices

PUNE: Residents of the Pimpri-Chinchwad area have been told to contact the zonal offices of the municipal corporation by June 30, if they have been left out of the census information gathering process.

The enumerators involved in the census work will visit houses of such residents to gather the required information, PCMC officials said. Subhash Dumbre, city census officer and additional commissioner, PCMC, said, "Around 85 per cent of the first phase of the census work has been completed. The second phase is expected to begin after the monsoon." Those left out of the census process can contact the zonal offices between 10 am and 5.45 pm. They will have to furnish details regarding their name, address and telephone/mobile numbers. The enumerator will then be sent to their residence.

NID helps make census 2011 brighter, better

NEW DELHI: The bright yellow survey questionnaires for census 2011’s ongoing house-listing phase are not just the census office’s way of breaking away from the drab off-white forms of the past, but a well-considered ploy to improve data collection.

The Census Commissioner’s office has sought professional help to design their schedules and questionnaires for the first time. For over a year before the census exercise began this April, the National Institute of Design (NID) has worked extensively to make the household survey forms more effective and amenable to gathering quality data. The institute is now designing the survey forms for Census’ next phase of population enumeration, which begins in 2011.

For the household survey forms, NID not only gave advice on the layout, colours, fonts and printing technology, but also advised the Census Commissioner on the sequencing of questions. The most interesting tweak in the new census forms — a unique bar code for each form — is also an NID idea. The dominant yellow colour on the forms, for instance, was chosen because it reflects light and can help surveyors fill up forms properly even in poorly-lit houses. Moreover, the bright colour is also expected to reduce interviewers’ and citizens’ fatigue while covering the 34 columns with several detailed queries.

“The colour yellow is believed to be soothing to the naked eye, it works in varying light conditions that enumerators have to deal with and it also supports most ink colours,” said senior NID faculty Rupesh Vyas, who steered the census project. Vyas’ mandate was to reduce human error, reduce fatigue for interviewers and make the data user-friendly . Something as elementary as a respondent’s birth date was filled by enumerators randomly. This would make it difficult for digital scanners to extract data in the correct format. “We have specifically said that date of birth must be in DD/MM/YYYY format,” Vyas explained.

To reduce human error in filling the data, the NID enlarged the text boxes to fill in responses to a standard 6 mm-7 mm each. This is way above the international standard of 3 mm for a scanner to read text characters. The 2.5 million Census surveyors have also been trained to write numbers in a standardised Arabic font.

NID also advised the Census office to pre-print the fields of state, city and district to avoid mixing up forms from different zones. To ease the logistics of stacking up millions of forms, the left top edge of the schedule has been slit. This simple change ensures that all the forms are stacked the right side up. Fonts and headers have been used to highlight different aspects of the questionnaire. “For instance, amenities and assets owned by the household were put under one category earlier. Now we have put them in different ones in order to avoid confusion,” Vyas said.

To make it easier for respondents to answer questions, the questionnaire has also been altered. “We did extensive research on the design of the questionnaire and advised the Census office to put the complicated, sensitive and detail-seeking questions towards the end of the questionnaire ,” Vyas said.

Before NID’s design ideas were taken on board, the census office printed 20-lakh forms for a trial run of the new design. “These schedules went to different areas of the country for field checks and also to the census offices all across the country,” a Census official said. Vyas has earlier worked on the multipurpose national identity card (MNIC) project of the home ministry — which the Unique ID Authority of India is set to replicate.

फोन कर घर बुलाएं जनगणनाकर्मी को

भोपाल.

शहर में अभी भी ऐसे कई लोग हैं जो अपने घर जनगणनाकर्मी के आने का इंतजार कर रहे हैं। रचना नगर, शक्ति नगर, राजीव गांधी प्रौद्योगिकी विश्वविद्यालय (आरजीपीवी) कैंपस सहित शहर के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में बसे परिवार जनगणना से छूट गए हैं। पिछले डेढ़ महीने में कोई भी जनगणनाकर्मी इनके घर नहीं पहुंचा। अब इन लोगों को चिंता सता रही है कि कहीं जनगणना में नाम छूट गया और विशिष्ट परिचय पत्र न बना तो इन्हें किसी परेशानी का सामना न करना पड़े।

नहीं पहुंचा कोई जनगणनाकर्मी :

आरजीपीवी कैंपस में रहने वाले प्रोफेसर संजीव शर्मा का परिवार पिछले डेढ़ महीने से कहीं नहीं गया। इनके घर अभी तक कोई जनगणना कर्मचारी नहीं पहुंचा। इनका कहना है कि कैंपस में सौ से ज्यादा परिवार रहते हैं। यदि कैंपस में कोई भी जनगणना कर्मी पहुंचता तो इनके घर भी आता। इसी तरह की शिकायतें शहर के अन्य क्षेत्रों के रहवासियों की भी हैं।

जिला जनगणना अधिकारी कलेक्टर निकुंज कुमार श्रीवास्तव ने बताया कि जो लोग जनगणना से बच गए हैं उनके लिए एक बार और प्रयास किया जाएगा। जिला जनगणना अधिकारी विकास मिश्रा का कहना है कि घर पर न मिलने वाले लोग ही जनगणना से बचे होंगे। जनगणना कर्मचारी मंगलवार को अंतिम दिन ऐसे घरों में जाकर एक बार फिर निरीक्षण करेंगे। वहीं जो लोग जनगणना से बच गए हैं, वह नगर निगम के जनगणना प्रभारी, जोनल अधिकारियों, नगर निगम व कलेक्टोरेट के कंट्रोल रूम पर फोन कर भी सूचना दे सकते हैं।

प्राथमिकता से शामिल होंगे छूटे लोगजनगणना का सामान जमा करने की अवधि 23 से 27 जून तक रखी गई है। नगर निगम जनगणना अधिकारी मयंक वर्मा का कहना है कि किसी कारण से जनगणना से वंचित रह गए लोगों की सूचना मिलने पर इन्हें प्राथमिकता से जनगणना में शामिल किया जाएगा। मंगलवार को जनगणना के संबंध में वीडियो कॉन्फ्रेंसिंग के जरिए भी समस्याओं और समाधान पर चर्चा होगी।

इन नंबरों पर करें फोनकलेक्टोरेट कंट्रोल रूम 2538723नगर निगम कंट्रोल रूम 2701000 2701001, 2701002

Census cover to keep terrorist slur at bay

New Delhi: Muslim groups are treating Census 2011 with the utmost seriousness, hoping it will shield community members from harassment by police who often falsely brand them Pakistani agents or illegal immigrants.
From the conservative Jamaat Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind to the “modernist’’ Association of Muslim Professionals, they have all appealed to Muslims to participate in the exercise that will lead to every Indian being handed a unique identity card — “an indirect proof of citizenship”.
The Association of Muslim Professionals has issued guidelines urging Muslim families to carefully provide every detail to the census officials and double-check them. The guidelines are being pasted in mohallas and marketplaces, and are even being read out after the Friday prayers in some areas.
“Muslims have to be extra careful since every Muslim is being looked upon as a potential terrorist,” Farookh Ahmed of Jamiat Ulema said. “If a Muslim fails to get the unique ID, it can make his life really miserable. So we are requesting every Muslim to get themselves registered.”
The guidelines mention the dates on which the census is to be carried out in the various states and Union territories and give detailed advice on how Muslims should go about getting themselves registered by the enumerators.
“A responsible person from every family should write the names of the family members with correct spelling, address and dates of birth on a piece of paper and tell the census officials to register all these details according to it,” the guidelines say.
Explaining the procedure of getting the I-cards, they say: “Each and every household will be given an acknowledgement slip at the time of enumeration which has to be saved carefully for further use.”
The Muslim organisations have also formed volunteer groups that will accompany the enumerators and help the Muslim families provide all the census details, especially the uneducated households. “The important fields to check include spellings, nationality and dates of birth, etc,” the guidelines say.
The guidelines ask families to give clear answers to all the listed questions: “Do not understate or overstate things.”
Households should complain to the district collector if they are overlooked during the census, the guidelines say, adding that backward Muslims should choose the OBC option in the OBC/SC/ST column.

Four-week extension for Census in Mumbai

The BMC has announced that the first phase of the national census will extend and continue for another four weeks. It was due to end on the Wednesday.
BMC are done with most of the works, the extension will help them work on the remaining houses that is just in the tune of 10%.They could not do the counting as the houses were locked during the designated period.
The first phase of work started from 1st of May and ended on 15th of June. It included house-listing, and data entry of the national population register. BMC found 6% of the houses which were locked permanently.
Manisha Mhaiskar, the additional municipal commissioner said that the major bulk of the census work had been done barring 10%of the hoses which were found closed due to the vacation. But as most of the schools reopened on Monday families are expected to return from vacation within a couple of week .The centre had given permission to extend the period of work by another 4 weeks. They have also started their help lines simultaneously so that if required people can call up the corporation’s enumerators for enrolling their names had they been left out during the time of counting.
Mhaiskar added that the enumerators will try to contact the citizens who haven’t been enumerated.
The Bombay Municipal Corporation had also decided to reduce its scale of operation. It will reduce the number of enumerators for the remaining 10% needed to be enumerated. Mahiskar stated that they will employ health department officials to enumerate for the next four weeks.
This is the 15th census being carried out in India and the seventh in independent India. The census will be carried out in phases.

2011 census kicks off in Jharkhand

The 2011 census kicked off in Jharkhand Tuesday with the listing of Governor M.O.H. Farook in the National Population Register (NPR).
Jharkhand's census director Sunil Kumar Burnwal, went to the governor's house and got the census form filled by him.
'We have deployed 60,000 people for the census 2011 programme,' Burnwal said.
The first phase of census will be of 45 days, which includes listing of houses and making entries in the NPR.

Legislators, NGOs in Nagaland briefed on Census

The ongoing process of 2011 census will be a milestone for Nagaland and the biggest data bank said director of census operations, government of India, Hekali Zhimomi while presenting a power point presentation in Kohima today.
The Director Census Operation gave a briefing on the census 2011 before the Joint Parliamentary Working Committee of the 11th Nagaland Legislative Assembly and the representative of the Civil Society started their joint meeting on the crucial Naga political issue at the Zonal Council Hall today.
Giving a brief history and the importance of census in the history of the world, the country and Nagaland, Hekali pointed out that the state had rejected the 2001 census based on the September 30, 2009 resolutions as the census figure was highly inflated and so not acceptable to the state. She also talked on the importance of correct census and the National Population Register (NPR). Allaying any apprehensions among the people, she said census has nothing to do with the electoral roll.
During interactive session, legislators, representatives of Church and various organizations sought various clarifications on the ongoing census operation such as listing of houses of a multiple house owners and whether “kheti” huts would also be listed. The Church representatives reiterated their earlier commitment to assist in collecting correct 2011 census but at the same time reminded that Church doesn’t have much authority.
Chief minister, Neiphiu Rio intervening from time to time to clarify doubts during the session stressed on the need to have a correct and accurate census, so that government would not find difficulties during the perspective plans of various departments. He said there was a tendency of inflated listing in the last census and people went ahead with it without thinking of the consequences it could bring to the State planning.
He said it was not the time to continue to manipulate the census of population. “False listing of voters will not help in increasing the Assembly seats of any particular area,” he said reminding that multiple entries and any false information would be detected by the biometrics. He warned that defaulters would be deprived of their unique Identity Card facilities. Rio also maintained that Nagaland State was always treated as a special category state and would be taken care in a special manner irrespective of the census data.

जनगणना में समस्त जानकारियां मुहैया कराना अनिवार्य

नई दिल्ली। सरकार ने सोमवार को कहा कि जनगणना अधिकारियों को समस्त जरूरी सूचनाएं मुहैया कराना हरेक व्यक्ति के लिए अनिवार्य है और ऎसा न किया जाना न सिर्फ सरकारी कर्मचारियों के कार्य निष्पादन में व्यवधान डालने के समान है बल्कि एक राष्ट्रव्यापी अभियान की तरक्की में भी बाधक है।
सरकारी विज्ञçप्त के अनुसार जनगणना के कार्य में जुटे कर्मियों का कहना है कि कुछ लोगों के मन में उनके कार्य के बारे में कुछ गलत भ्रांतियां थीं। इसी वजह से उन्होंने इस वृहद कार्य में सक्रिय भागीदारी नहीं निभाई। कुछ मामलों में तो जनगणना कर्मियों को किसी न किसी बहाने घरों में प्रवेश करने की इजाजत भी नहीं दी गई।
सरकार ने स्पष्ट किया है कि ऎसा आचरण न सिर्फ सरकारी कर्मियों के कार्य निष्पादन में बाधा डालने के समान है बल्कि 25 लाख कर्मियों की मदद से देश में पहली बार शुरू किए गए वृहद अभियान को भी कुछ हद तक बाधित करने के समान है।विज्ञçप्त में कहा गया है कि हरेक व्यक्ति का जनगणना कर्मियों को जानकारी मुहैया कराना अनिवार्य है। यह जानकारियां सिर्फ राष्ट्रीय जनसंख्या रजिस्टर तैयार करने के लिए जुटायी जा रही हैं। इन्हें पूरी तरह गोपनीय रखा जाएगा और इनसे जनकल्याण के लिए केंद्र एवं राज्य के स्तर पर नीतियां बनाने में सहायता मिलेगी। इतना ही नहीं, इस प्रक्रिया के संपन्न हो जाने पर निवासियों को पहचान पत्र भी जारी होगा।
देश के 29 राज्यों में गत एक अप्रैल से चरणबद्ध ढंग से जारी जनगणना 2011 की प्रक्रिया के पहले चरण के तहत घरों को सूचीबद्ध करने तथा राष्ट्रीय जनसंख्या रजिस्टर तैयार करने के लिए आंक़डे एकत्र करने का कार्य किया गया। सभी राज्यों को इस कार्य को 45 दिनों में निपटाना है। इसके बाद फोटोग्राफी और बायोमीट्रिक चरण पूरा किया जाएगा।

Now, Bansal speaks up in favour of caste census

NEW DELHI: The Congress leadership’s advice to its ministers not to air their opinion on caste-based census has not stopped proliferation of views on the matter.

A day after the party ticked off law minister Veerappa Moily for going public with his pro-caste census opinion, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal joined the debate by criticising his ministerial colleagues who are opposed to caste headcount.

Mr Bansal used an interview with a news agency to dismiss the view of his colleagues in the government that the move was regressive and an “insidious” one. He also claimed that a majority in the Cabinet was in its favour. Making a strong pitch for caste census, Mr Bansal said the “preponderant view” during the debate in the Lok Sabha was that it should be included in the census. “There is nothing insidious or invidious in it, and it is not a regressive one,” he said, dubbing moves opposing the inclusion of caste as “all idealism and utopia”.

It be recalled that minister of state for home affairs Ajay Maken had recently written to young MPs urging them to oppose the “regressive” move that was being pushed as part of “divisive agenda for short-term political gain”.

..तो जनगणना के काम में हो सकती है देरी

नई दिल्ली. जातिगत जनगणना के मसले पर फैसला लेने में केंद्र सरकार की देरी मौजूदा प्रक्रिया को और लंबा खींच सकती है। उस स्थिति में रजिस्ट्रार जनरल ऑफ इंडिया को दोबारा मशक्कत करनी पड़ेगी।

फिलहाल, केंद्रीय गृह मंत्रालय की ओर से इस बारे में कोई दिशा-निर्देश न मिलने पर रजिस्ट्रार जनरल ऑफ इंडिया ने मौजूदा प्रक्रिया को ही आगे बढ़ाने का फैसला किया है। सूत्रों के मुताबिक, अगर केंद्र जनगणना में जाति को भी जोड़ने का फैसला करता है तो वह उन लोगों से जाति कैसे पूछेगा, जिनसे विवरण पहले ही लिए जा चुके होंगे। इसके अलावा जाति पूछने के लिए नए फार्म की जरूरत होगी, जिसमें जाति संबंधी कॉलम हो। फार्म छपवाने और उसे सभी संबंधित कार्यालयों तक पहुंचाने में भी समय लगेगा।

जातिगत जनगणना पर सरकार पीछे हटी तो आंदोलन: मुलायम

लखनऊ। सपा प्रमुख मुलायम सिंह यादव ने केंद्र सरकार पर जातिगत जनगणना मुद्दे को टालने का आरोप लगाते हुए कहा कि सरकार अगर संसद में दिए अपने आश्वासन से पीछे हटी तो सपा आंदोलन करेगी। लखनऊ स्थित पार्टी मुख्यालय में शुक्रवार को मुलायम सिंह यादव ने कहा कि प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने पिछले दिनों संसद में जातिगत जनगणना करवाने का आश्वासन दिया था, लेकिन घोषणा करने के बाद सरकार अब इससे पीछे हट रही है।
सपा अध्यक्ष ने कहा कि देश में जाति आधारित जनगणना के मामले को मंत्रियों के उच्चााधिकार प्राप्त समूह (जीओएम) को सौंपना इस मुद्दे को टालने का एक बहाना है। उन्होंने सरकार को चेतावनी देते हुए कहा कि अगर जीओएम ने जातिगत जनगणना के खिलाफ रिपोर्ट दी तो सपा देश की सभी वंचित जातियों को साथ लेकर आंदोलन करने से पीछे नहीं हटेगी। यादव ने जोर देते हुए कहा कि एक तरफ देश में पे़ड-पौधे, तालाब, मकान व जानवरों तक की गिनती हो रही है तो जातिगत जनगणना के नाम पर कुछ लोगों को तकलीफ क्यों हो रही है।

उन्होंने कहा कि जातिगत जनगणना कराने से देश के सरकारी खजाने पर एक पैसे का भी अतिरिक्त भार नहीं प़डेगा। केवल फार्म में एक कालम बढ़ाना होगा। यादव ने उन खबरों को निराधार बताया, जिसमें सपा के केंद्र सरकार में शामिल होने की अटकलें लगाई गई थीं।

जातीय जनगणना के विरुद्ध माकन के पत्र से कांग्रेस क्षुब्ध

कांग्रेस ने शुक्रवार को केंद्रीय गृह राज्यमंत्री अजय माकन के उस पत्र पर नाखुशी जताई है, जिसमें उन्होंने युवा सांसदों से जनगणना में जाति को शामिल करने का विरोध करने की अपील की है।

पार्टी महासचिव जनार्दन द्विवेदी जो पार्टी का मीडिया प्रभाग भी देख रहे हैं, ने कहा कि इस संबंध में उचित बयान देने के लिए सरकार में कोई व्यक्ति अधिकृत नहीं है।द्विवेदी ने कहा कि यह माकन का 'निजी विचार' है। उन्होंने कहा कि माकन को ऐसा पत्र लिखने से अभी बचना चाहिए था, क्योंकि इस मुद्दे पर वित्तमंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी की अध्यक्षता वाले मंत्रियों का समूह विचार कर रहा है।

गुरुवार को लिखे अपने पत्र में माकन ने कहा है कि जातिगत जनगणना एक राजनीतिक मुद्दा है, जिसका बुरा नतीजा अगले दशकों में भुगतना पड़ सकता है। उन्होंने कहा कि मुझे व अन्य राजनीति के पेशेवरों एवं सभी राजनीतिक दलों को इसके बदले विकास का मुद्दा उठाना चाहिए। उन्होंने यह पत्र ब्लॉग 'अजय माकन थाउट्स डॉट ब्लॉग स्पॉट डॉट कॉम' पर जारी किया है।

Caste census: Maken writes to MPs

At a time when the Cabinet has referred the issue of caste census to a Group of Ministers (GoM), Congress MP Ajay Maken has now written to about 70-odd young MPs across party lines asking for an all-inclusive agenda on the issue.

In his letter to young MPs, Maken said, "Caste census will institutionalise caste rather than development as the national political agenda change."Maken has hinted in the letter that the caste census is divisive."Regression into realm of caste being the political agenda will be detrimental to the country change," he writes.

The GoM is likely to be headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The GoM panel has no time frame, but importantly, its decision will go back to the Cabinet.Several political parties have made a pitch for conducting a caste-based census, prominent among them the Yadav troika of Mulayam, Lalu and Sharad.Their parties - the Samajwadi Party, RJD and JD(U) - have been strongly demanding the inclusion of caste in the census exercise.Those opposed to a caste-based census say that it is a throwback to the medieval times and the census should be looking at the future and not the past.

No consensus on caste in census

The Cabinet pushed the contentious caste-based census under the carpet by referring it to a Group of Ministers (GoM), unable to come to an internal agreement. It will examine the modalities of such a headcount, evolve a consensus and submit its report “at the earliest”, said sources.
“It will look into every aspect of the issue,” said a minister who did not want to be named. Only after studying the report will the Cabinet take a formal decision on whether to go for a caste-based census or leave it to a vehicle like the National Population Register (NPR).
The home ministry has its reservations on a caste-based census. The ministry, which circulated a Cabinet note at the meeting, has suggested that the caste count be linked to the NPR instead of the 2011 census.The move is expected to mollify opponents to such a headcount, please those who want to map changing social reality and seek to appease the OBC lobby represented, among others, by the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal that had helped the government defeat the Opposition’s cut motion in the Budget session of Parliament.
Home ministry sources were apprehensive that a caste-based census could be a farce if politically conscious communities exaggerate their family size in order to tap perceived benefits flowing from it. This had happened in Nagaland, which showed a whopping 60 per cent population growth between 1991-2001 because some tribes pitched their numbers high to corner a large piece of the development cake so much so that the state government had to reject the report. Such distortions, the ministry believes, can be contained if the caste count is linked to the NPR — where people could be asked to give information on their caste while giving their 10 fingerprints and iris scan. At the Cabinet meeting, at least three ministers in principle opposed the caste-based census. Kapil Sibal and MS Gill questioned the move that would revive an issue that was buried after 1931 — the last time such a count was conducted.
Sibal, sources said, also noted the dichotomy of talking about caste census in a forward-looking 21st century. Anand Sharma had vehemently opposed caste census at the May 4 Cabinet meeting. On Wednesday, he stressed that the issue is very complex, has far-reaching consequences and cannot and should not be decided in a 30-minute discussion in the Cabinet. He backed Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram’s suggestion that the matter be referred to the GoM. As the issue impacts his ministry, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik wanted to know what purpose collection of such caste data would serve. Another dalit minister Kumari Selja did not speak at the meeting. On his part, Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted to know whether religion would figure in the census. The pro-caste census lobby includes ministers like Veerappa Moily and Jaipal Reddy who made a strong pitch for such a headcount. This lobby believes that a caste count is necessary to give greater impetus to affirmative action vis-a-vis disadvantaged sections and groups.
Over half a dozen of the 32 Cabinet ministers, whose views on the issue would be important, were absent from Wednesday’s meeting. They include crucial allies like Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Trinamool Congress’s Mamata Bannerjee and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. Among the other absentees were Ambika Soni, AK Alagiri, Subodh Kant Sahay, Kanti Lal Bhuria and A Raja.