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.

Decision on caste census in process - PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday informed that the government was in the process of taking a final decision to include caste as a factor to be enumerated in the ongoing Census process.
Replying to a question on the issue, which caused many adjournments in the Lok Sabha during last session of the Parliament, Dr Singh said, “I made a statement in Parliament in which I had said that we would take into account the views expressed by all sections of the House and would shortly take appropriate decision. I will soon ask the Cabinet to consider the views expressed in the Parliament. That process is on.”Informing that the final decision on the issue is yet to be taken, the Prime Minister said, “Discussion on the issue will take place in the Cabinet and whatever decision is taken it will be brought before the people.”
When asked to comment whether a decision favouring inclusion of caste in the Census process would not lead to Mandalisation, the Prime Minister said, the government will keep everything in the mind before taking a final decision. “At the moment, we have not taken a decision,” he added. most of the political parties, including BJP, SP, RJD and JD(U) made strong pitch for inclusion of caste as factor to be enumerated.

LIC, PF officials to join census duty

AHMEDABAD: The issue of 'refusal' of LIC and Provident Fund authorities to relieve their employees for census work almost reached criminal proportions when Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officials reached Ellisbridge police station to report the matter.

According to AMC sources, a team of AMC officials went to Ellisbridge police station after the employees from LIC delayed in joining the census work. On the issue, an Ellisbridge station official said, "AMC officials came to lodge an FIR against the employees refusing to report for the census work. Later, both the parties came to a truce and no complaint has been lodged." Recently, in an interim order, Justice KA Puj in the Gujarat High Court ruled that AMC's decision to deploy LIC employees for census work is not illegal. The court vacated the stay which allowed LIC workers to keep away from the census work. "The issue has been sorted out after having a long discussion with the concerned authorities.

More than 500 employees of LIC and PF have been asked by the AMC authorities to join the work," said deputy municipal commissioner and in charge of city census work, Arjav Shah. "More than 300 employees will now be part of the census work." added Shah. However, out of the allotted 339 LIC employees, only 200, out of the sanctioned 200 PF employees only 125, will join the work," a senior AMC official said, "The delay in joining has affected the census work. The work has to be completed before June 4." Earlier, the LIC employees had approached the high court against AMC for allotting them census exercise. Census-2011, is a comprehensive database of citizens. AMC authorities have divided the city in 10,977 blocks for the exercise. This is the 15th Census since 1872.

RSS opposes caste-based census

NAGPUR: RSS on Sunday said nationality should be the basis in the ongoing national census and not caste.

"The RSS is following the principles of late Dalit leader B R Ambedkar. Right from the beginning, RSS is in favour of a casteless society and any attempt to dilute it will hurt the sentiments of people," RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi told. RSS has been striving to build a casteless society, he said. "There is no provision for identifying and separating illegal migrants in the country while preparing the National Population Register (NPR). This will prove to be a threat to the national security and integrity," he said.

According to him, preparation of a multi-utility identity card on the basis of NPR will be incorrect. "Therefore, RSS demands that identity cards be issued only after verification of nationality and the nationality provision should be the basis for NPR," Joshi said. He said government should fix some criteria for giving reservation to other backward communities (OBCs). "There should not be any hurry and government should initiate a national debate on it. There needs to be a dialogue with various social groups in this regard," he said.

When his attention was drawn towards BJP's demand for inclusion of a provision of OBC category in the national census records to identify OBC population, Joshi evaded a direct reply saying it was for the BJP to decide. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had recently said that the Cabinet will shortly take a decision on whether caste-based census should be undertaken or not.

जाति आधारित जनगणना मामला सुप्रीम कोर्ट में

जाति आधारित जनगणना मामले में सुप्रीम कोर्ट में गुरुवार को केंद्र सरकार के खिलाफ कैविएट दायर की गई है। इसे तमिलनाडु के वकील आर कृष्णमूर्ति और पीई प्रकाशम ने दायर की है।

वकीलों की एक याचिका पर हाईकोर्ट ने 13 मई को केंद्र तथा देश के जनगणना आयुक्त को जाति आधारित जनगणना करने का निर्देश दिया था। केंद्र मद्रास हाईकोर्ट के निर्देश के खिलाफ विशेष अनुमति याचिका दायर करने वाला है। कैविएट में शीर्ष कोर्ट से आग्रह किया गया है कि इसे लगाने वालों का पक्ष सुने बगैर केंद्र को कोई राहत नहीं दी जानी चाहिए।

मैं 48 का और राबड़ी 55 साल की : लालू

जनगणना 2010 के लिए अपना और अपने परिवार के सदस्यों का नाम दर्ज कराते हुए राजद सुप्रीमो और पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री लालू प्रसाद ने मजाकिया लहजे में कहा कि वह 48 के हैं और उनकी पत्नी राबडी 55 की हैं।
जनगणना के लिए आंकडा़ एकत्र करने पटना में पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री और बिहार विधानसभा में प्रतिपक्ष की नेता राबडी़ देवी के सरकारी आवास पहुंचे जनगणना विभाग के निदेशक के सेंथिल कुमार और अन्य कर्मियों से लालू ने अपने को 48 का और पत्नी राबडी़ देवी को 55 का बताया।
लालू के इस खुलासे पर वहां मौजूद मीडियाकर्मियों ने जब उनसे यह पूछा कि क्या उनकी पत्नी उम्र में उनसे अधिक हैं, इस पर लालू ने मजाकिए लहजे में कहा कि वह इस बारे में नहीं जानते पर वह बड़ी हो सकती हैं।
बाद में लालू ने लोगों की बढ़ती जिज्ञासा को यह कहकर तुरंत शांत किया कि उनके कहने का मतलब था कि उनका जन्म 1948 में हुआ है और उनकी पत्नी का जन्म 1955 में हुआ।
जनगणना के लिए आंकडा़ एकत्र करने का यह पहला दौर है और यह इस वर्ष जून अथवा जुलाई महीने में समाप्त होगा।
राजद सुप्रीमो ने कहा कि उन्हें इस बात की उम्मीद है कि जाति के आधार पर जनगणना की शुरुआत मंत्रिमंडल से मंजूरी मिलने के बाद अगले वर्ष फरवरी महीने से शुरू हो जाएगी।

Bramhins demand specific inclusion in National Census

Parshuram Sarva Bhashiya Bramhins Sangh (Multi Lingual Brahmins) has demanded that government should allow Brahmins to be specifically noted during National Census which will determine the actual population and percentage of all Bramhins in the country.
"Presently the Bramhins are included as 'others' during the Census which was unjust and therefore Bramhins Sangh is demanding that government should note Bramhins as Bramhins and not Others, Sangh, general secretary Vidarbha region, Trilokinath Sidhra, said in a release today.
He has appealed to all the Bramhins irrespective of their region, state and language to insist on the Census staff to mention their caste status as Bramhin.
Sidhra has favoured caste-based Census, first time after 1931 which will indeed reveal the exact figures of all castes including Bramhins. All political parties have supported the demand and Sidhra hoped government will take a positive decision, the release added.

सीआईआई जाति आधारित जनगणना के खिलाफ

उद्योग मंडल भारतीय उद्योग परिसंघ (सीआईआई) ने जाति आधारित जनगणना की यह कहते हुए आलोचना की है कि ‘‘क्यों मरते हुए मुद्दे को फिर से जिंदा किया जा रहा है।’’ सीआईआई के नवनियुक्त अध्यक्ष हरि एस. भरतिया ने कहा कंपनियाँ जाति से हटकर नीतियाँ अपनाना चाहती हैं।

जनगणना में जाति को शामिल किए जाने पर उनकी प्रतिक्रिया पूछे जाने पर भरतिया ने कहा ‘‘इस पर प्रतिक्रिया देना कठिन है, क्योंकि हमारी कुछ कंपनियाँ जाति आधारित बातों के लिए तैयार नहीं हैं।भरतिया फार्मा कंपनी जुबिलेंट आर्गेनोसिस के सहचेयरमैन एवं प्रबंध निदेशक भी हैं। उन्होंने कहा हमारी कंपनी जाति आधारित नीति अपनाकर खुश नहीं होगी।चैंबर का विचार है कि जाति आधारित जनगणना से एक बार फिर से पुराना सामाजिक मुद्दा खड़ा हो जाएगा, जो बीतते समय के साथ ही दफन हो चुका है

।सीआईआई के महानिदेशक चंद्रजीत बनर्जी ने कहा कि आज की युवा पीढ़ी में बहुत से लोग यह नहीं जानते कि वे किस जाति के हैं। ‘‘उन्हें अपनी जाति के बारे में अपने अभिभावकों से पूछना पड़ेगा।’’ बनर्जी ने पूछा कि आप एक ऐसे विवाद को फिर क्यों पैदा करना चाहते हैं, जो खत्म हो चुका है। सरकार पर विभिन्न राजनीतिक दलों को जाति आधारित जनगणना के लिए दबाव पड़ रहा है। केंद्रीय मंत्रिमंडल की इसी सप्ताह बैठक होने की उम्मीद है, जिसमें इस मुद्दे पर विचार किया जाएगा।वित्तमंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी पहले ही जाति आधारित जनगणना को उचित ठहरा चुके हैं। उन्होंने पिछले सप्ताह मध्यप्रदेश के छिंदवाड़ा में कहा था कि जाति आधारित जनगणना आखिरी बार 1931 में हुई थी। इसे आजादी के बाद भी जारी रखा जाना चाहिए था, लेकिन ऐसा नहीं हुआ। अब संप्रग सरकार ने इस दिशा में पहल की है। समाजवादी पार्टी, राष्ट्रीय जनता दल और जनता दल (यूनाइटेड) ने जनगणना में जाति को शामिल किए जाने की माँग की है। भाजपा ने भी इस माँग का समर्थन किया है।

Missed out on census? Call toll-free 18003450111

Were you away when the census official came knocking at your door? Don't fret. You can call toll-free number 18003450111 from 10 am to 8 pm every day except Saturday, and fill in your details.
The Directorate of Census Operations, Karnataka, has introduced the dedicated phone line for citizens to lodge complaints or give suggestions. "They can inform us if they were not at home when the enumerators came calling. We are trying to cover 100% of the population. If people can volunteer, it would be really helpful," T K Anil Kumar, director, Directorate of Census Operations, Karnataka told.
The BBMP, too, has launched a helpline for census-related queries — 080-22975549. Till now, people used to call up the Palike's control rooms if they needed help. "But officials there receive general complaints as well. So, we thought of a separate helpline to keep track of the exercise," Anil Kumar explained. Till now, 60% to 65% of the city has been covered under the census drive. There are some wards where 100% census has been completed.

Don't mention caste in census: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee

Top religious body Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has asked Sikhs not to mention their castes or sub-castes while filling up the census form.
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said that if a Sikh does so, it would be a violation of the tenets of the religion since the gurus always wanted a caste-less society.
Makkar also appealed to all Sikhs to mention their mother tongue as Punjabi. Then only will the census will give the exact number of Sikhs in the country, he said.
The SGPC chief also blamed the previous census for not giving a correct Sikh headcount.
Makkar said in case of Sikhs from other parts of the country, local identities were given preference over basic religious identities. This was particularly true of Sikhs in far-flung states like Bihar, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, he said.
Makkar also seemed to be in a doubt over backward class Sikhs. Condemning the Centre for adding the caste column on the census form, he said: “Even in Punjab, Sikhs should desist from identifying themselves according to their castes, particularly those who belong to the backward classes.”
Many other Sikh organisations like Dal Khalsa and Akali Dal (Mann) have also asked community members not to mention their caste identities in the census form.

Centre tilts towards caste census

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is inexorably being pushed towards accepting the idea of a caste-based census, under intense pressure from within the Cabinet, and sections of the Congress and supporting parties. Key State elections due in Bihar later this year, and in Uttar Pradesh in 2012 are forcing a rethink in the government, which may discuss the subject again at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday, even though sections in the government told The Hindu that an attempt might be made to delay a decision.
The government's object when it brought the issue to the Cabinet on May 4 was to bury the idea, and secure the approval needed to take a clear position in Parliament during the Opposition-sponsored discussion listed for the next day.

जातीय जनगणना का मसौदा कैबिनेट में आज नहीं

नई दिल्ली जातीय जनगणना का प्रस्ताव गुरुवार को कैबिनेट बैठक के एजेंडे में नहीं होगा। इस मसले पर कैबिनेट में अनौपचारिक चर्चा जरूर हो सकती है। कांग्रेस कोर ग्रुप की बैठक में जाति के आधार पर जनगणना के सवाल पर हुई चर्चा के बाद इसे अगली कैबिनेट बैठक में लाने पर सहमति बनी है।

सूत्रों का कहना है कि गृह मंत्रालय अभी इस मामले में निश्चित मसौदा तैयार करेगा। सूत्रों का कहना है कि कांग्रेस के आला नेतृत्व के बीच जाति आधारित जनगणना की प्रक्रिया तय करने के बारे में चर्चा हुई है। आला सूत्रों का कहना है कि यह बड़ा फैसला है और इसमें थोड़ा वक्त लगना लाजिमी है। गौरतलब है कि प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने लोकसभा मंे सांसदों को आश्वासन दिया था कि जाति आधारित जनगणना के बारे में कैबिनेट जल्द ही फैसला करेगी। लोकसभा में सदन के नेता और वित्तमंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी ने भी भरोसा दिलाया था कि सरकार इस बार की जनगणना में ही जाति आधारित जनगणना को शामिल करेगी। इस आश्वासन के मद्देनजर ही इस मसले पर कांग्रेस कोरग्रुप के नेताओं के बीच मंथन हुआ।

बिग बी ने लिया जनगणना में हिस्सा

मुंबई. सुपरस्टार अमिताभ बच्चन ने मंगलवार को परिवार के प्रमुख के नाते अपने परिवार की जानकारी जनगणना अधिकारियों को देकर जनगणना कार्यक्रम में हिस्सा लिया। उनके जुहू स्थित ‘प्रतिक्षा’ बंगले पर जाकर जनगणना अधिकारियों ने उनसे जनगणना पत्रक पर सभी आवश्यक जानकारी दर्ज करवाई। बिग बी के बंगले पर जनगणना की जानकारी हासिल करने जाने वालों में मनपा के/पश्चिम विभाग के सहायक मनपा आयुक्त रमेश पवार, उप कार्यकारी स्वास्थ्य अधिकारी डॉ. पद्यजा केसकर और प्रगणक सुलोचना कांबले प्रमुख थीं।

मनपा अधिकारियों ने बताया कि बिग बी ने जनगणना पत्रक को भरते वक्त उनसे युनिक आयडेंटीटी कार्ड के बारे में जानकारी पूछी। उन्होंने बहुत ही उत्सुकता के साथ जनगणना की प्रक्रिया में हिस्सा लिया। मुंबई मनपा की अतिरिक्त मनपा आयुक्त (पश्चिम उपनगर) मनीषा पाटणकर-म्हैसकर ने जनगणना प्रक्रिया में सभी लोगों के शामिल होने की अपील की है। उन्होंने बताया कि मुंबई मनपा क्षेत्र के अंर्तगत जनगणना के लिए 150 घरों का एक ब्लॉक बनाया गया है। इस तरह से कुल 37, 617 घरों का ब्लॉक बनाया गया है। उन्होंने बताया कि 1 मई से शुरू हुई जनगणना की प्रक्रिया 155 जून तक चलेगी।

Interrogating the caste census

The Government of India has agreed to authorise the census operation to collect caste data, after an interval of 80 years.

Those who argued that this should not be done as part of the census but conducted separately through the Backward Classes Commission lost the argument. In a sense, this step is a logical one derived from the increasing role of identity politics in our elections, based on the first-past-the-post system. The politicians who are interested in the caste census data are not as interested in advancing the living standards and the status of the traditionally disadvantaged as they are in organising them into vote banks. The census data will be a powerful tool in their hands. This step will help consolidate the first-past-the-post system of elections and enable a significant section of our parliamentarians to be elected with a minority of votes polled in their favour and the majority of the constituency voting against them. Consequently they are not likely to have the democratic culture to respect the majority in the House and are likely to indulge in gimmickries designed to attract the attention of their core constituencies. This is the position today and with the legitimising of caste-based politics through the collection of census data, the culture of disruptions in Parliament is likely to be perpetuated.
Caste is not peculiar to India. It is prevalent in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Conversion to Islam and Christianity or Buddhism does not erase caste identity. In spite of the claims of Islam and Christianity that all believers are equal, the caste advantages and disadvantages continue to be perpetuated even after conversion. Therefore, the demand that caste reservation should be extended to the converts to Islam and Christianity. This demand has already been accepted and judicially approved. In such circumstances it is only logical that caste data for the census should cover all religions and not be restricted to those calling themselves Hindus. It is presumed the government’s instructions to the census authorities will implement this requirement. In due course this will lead to the reservations being operated on the basis of caste, without reference to religion. It will be interesting to watch whether such a development in India will lead to similar demands in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
One wonders whether this rushed decision will give rise to new problems. It has been asserted by the government that this data will not be subjected to analysis. Is that proposition realistic? Caste is a very complex subject. A particular caste having the same name can be an upper caste in one state, a backward caste in another state and a most backward caste in a third state. Vesting the data with the sanctity of the census operation is bound to raise issues of quotas within reservations based on the relative strengths of castes. If the politician’s interest was in the uplift of the traditionally disadvantaged, that could have been done by criteria-based affirmative action. But his real purpose is votebank politics and not the welfare of the masses. It is not going to be easy to escape the tensions that this casteism-strengthening exercise is likely to unleash. Such legitimisation of casteism will strengthen, for instance, the hands of reactionary and obscurantist khap panchayats. We see the pernicious hold of a casteist mindset in instances where parents murder their own children for crossing caste boundaries in choosing their spouses.
Our Constitution-makers did not anticipate that caste would end up being strengthened by the kind of electoral process they instituted. Our freedom fighters looked forward to a casteless society. There were movements in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and elsewhere for the eradication of caste. Now even those who championed caste eradication earlier have been seduced by caste vote-bank politics and are contributing to the perpetuation of such identities to derive political mileage. Strange are the ways of untethered democratic politics corrupted by the first-past-the-post system!
At the same time this census data collection provides a unique opportunity to all Indians who would like to see a casteless India to assert their views and make this a referendum on caste endorsement. Every Indian who would like to eradicate caste should enroll in the census as belonging to the Indian caste.
Here is an opportunity for progressive civil society to assert itself. It is likely that those sections of the population which have benefited from reservation and have followed leaderships who depend on caste politics will enthusiastically register their caste identities. But as the casteists have gained, let the resistance to casteism also advance. It may take many censuses before the majority of Indians are willing to renounce this millenia-old institution. As India urbanises and develops, casteism and caste-based politics will lose significance.
Ultimately India will have to promote a social and economic criteria-based affirmative action progamme which will drown the caste-linked educational and job reservations. Electoral reforms which will require a candidate to poll 50 per cent plus of votes cast in a second round to get elected are also needed. All that will take time. Meanwhile, let us start with this census and let all those who want a casteless India for our children and grandchildren register Indian against the caste column, when the census enumerator turns up at our doors.

Amitabh Bachchan speaks out against caste in consensus

Amidst the debate on the inclusion of caste in the national census, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has said that he does not believe in caste and neither does his family.

The 67-year-old veteran said that if asked about his caste, he will answer that he is an Indian."My Father never believed in caste and neither do any of us. He married a Sikh, I married a Bengali, my brother a Sindhi, my daughter a Punjabi, my son a Mangalorean, in his autobiography my father had expressed that future generations of his family should marry into different parts of the country. So far that tradition has been kept alive," wrote the actor on his blog.

Census enumerators came calling on the Bachchanhousehold, prompting the actor to express his views on the issue."Officials from the BMC, the Bombay Municipal Corporation, troop into Prateeksha to detail in on information. All kinds of information is sought name, place, age, dependents, place of birth, house, residence years. I wait for them to come to the crucial controversial one...caste. They don't."Wary of the sensitivity that this has raised recently by politicians, they keep away from it. I tell them irrespective of what the system decides, my answer is ready, caste, Indian," wrote Bachchan. Political parties including Samajwadi Party, which has Bachchan's wife Jaya amongst its members, are demanding thatcaste be included in the ongoing census.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the government will soon take a decision on caste-based census in the country.Deputy leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Janata Dal-United (JDU) president Sharad Yadav are amongst those demanding that caste be registered during the census exercise.

Admn to lodge FIRs against staff missing census workshop

LUCKNOW:

FIRs would be lodged against personnel skipping the training workshop on Census 2011.

The head count in country's most populous state will begin from May 16. But the decadal exercise has failed to evoke a positive response from the employees nominated to conduct it in Lucknow.

On the first day of the workshop organised by the district administration on Monday, over 1,500 personnel were found missing. Annoyed over this, district magistrate Anil Kumar Sagar, who is also principal census officer, directed lodging of FIRs against those abstaining from the workshop.

Sagar gave the order during a meeting held on Monday evening to review the progress of census work. "We have already exempted people who had genuine reasons. Elderly employees with less than a year left for retirement, pregnant women, persons who underwent surgeries recently or those suffering from serious ailments... but for all those who have taken their job non-seriously, action will follow," Sagar told.

Nodal officer census and additional district magistrate Anil Pathak informed that the massive enumeration drive involves cumulative efforts of over four lakh personnel across UP. In Lucknow, around 10,000 persons would conduct the exercise. "The training workshop organised by representatives from Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) is a crucial link. It is only after this exposure that the personnel will be able to undertake house-listing and housing census," DM said.

Notably, this data involves collection of comprehensive details about the condition of human settlements, deficits in the availability of houses, and in effect, give the government an insight into formulating future housing policies. The exercise would also reflect trends in population growth along with the characteristics of a particular area.

Nodal officer Pathak informed that Census 2011 is important from several points of view. "Data collection for Census 2011 is a twin task. The same data will be forwarded to the Unique Identity Authority of India which is working to award every India a unique identity number," said the officer. The officials, meanwhile, assured that census duty doesn't mean tiresome task. Each individual would have to cover only 150 houses in a time period of 45 days. "... given the target and time, if people plan their day, they would be able to achieve the target without letting their normal work affected. And for those who cannot, they may finish the job in one go, which will not take 45 days for sure," they said.

From the public perspective, the census team of Lucknow, the officials assured that information collected about individuals would be kept confidential. In fact, the information gathered would not be accessible even to the courts of law. Details such as name, date of birth, sex, present address, permanent address, names of father, mother and spouse etc., will be gathered by visiting every household.

जाति आधारित जनगणना की उलझनें

जाति को जनगणना में शामिल कराने के लिए नागपुर की महात्मा फूले समता परिषद ने उच्चतम न्यायालय में एक जनहित याचिका दायर की है जिस पर सरकार को जवाब देना है। याचिका में कहा गया है कि संविधान के अनुच्छेद 340 के तहत अन्य पिछड़े वर्गों के कल्याण को आगे बढा़ना सरकार की जि़म्मेदारी है। इसलिए उनकी ठीक संख्या का पता न करना संविधान के अनुच्छेद 14, 15 और 340 का उल्लंघन है। पिछले साल पीएमके ने भी ऐसी ही एक याचिका उच्चतम न्यायालय में दायर की थी जिसे अदालत ने इस आधार पर खारिज कर दिया कि इससे बहुत अधिक कलह हो सकती है और इसी कारण गत 60 वर्षों में ऐसा नहीं किया गया। वैसे पश्चिम बंगाल सरकार अकेली राज्य सरकार है जिसने जाति-आधारित जनगणना कराने के लिए प्रतिवेदन केन्द्र को भेजा है। इसके अलावा आंध्र प्रदेश, कर्नाटक और तमिलनाडु की विधान सभाओं ने सर्वमत से प्रस्ताव पारित कर केन्द्र से पिछड़े वर्गों की गिनती अलग से कराने का अनुरोध किया है।
जाति-आधारित जनगणना के पक्ष में सबसे बडा़ तर्क यह है कि सरकार की सभी नीतियां जाति आधारित हैं। आरक्षण जाति के आधार पर दिया जाता है, योजना आयोग पिछड़े वर्गों के लिए जाति के आधार पर योजना बनाता है, आदि। इसलिए जाति की गणना से प्रमाणित आंकड़े सरकार के पास होंगे जिससे योजना बनाने में लाभ होगा। अभी 1931 के आंकड़ों के आधार पर योजनाएं बनायी जाती हैं जो किसी भी रुप में उचित नहीं है। मंडल आयोग ने अन्य पिछड़े वर्गों की आबादी 52 प्रतिशत माना जबकि राष्ट्रीय नमूना सर्वेक्षण संगठन ने 1994 में इसे 41 प्रतिशत माना। साथ ही यह भी कहा जाता है कि यदि अनुसूचित जाति-जनजाति की गणना हो सकती है तो अन्य पिछड़े वर्गों की क्यों नहीं।
जातीय गणना के विरुद्घ सबसे बडा़ तर्क यह है कि इससे जातिवाद को वैधता मिलेगी और अंतत: बढा़वा। जाति एक सच्चाई है, किंतु भारतीय संविधान और समाज का लक्ष्य वर्णहीन, वर्गहीन समाज का निर्माण है। इसीलिए 1951 की जनगणना में लोगों के उपनाम तक नहीं लिखे गये थे। अस्पृश्यता को कानूनी अपराध बनाया गया। अन्तर्जातीय विवाह को वैधता प्रदान करने के लिए हिन्दू विवाह सत्यापन अधिनियम, 1946 बनाया गया जिसके तहत अनुलोम और प्रतिलोम दोनों विवाह मान्य हो गये। अनुलोम विवाह में उच्च जाति का वर और निचली जाति की कन्या होती थी जो मान्य था, परंतु प्रतिलोम में इसका उल्टा था जो न केवल अमान्य था, बल्कि इसके लिए दण्ड का भी प्रावधान था। यानी जाति को समाप्त करने के लिए हमारे नेताओं ने कई कानून बनाये। दुर्भाग्य से उन कानूनों का पालन तो सरकार करा नहीं पा रही है जिसका परिणाम है खाप पंचायतों के तुगलकी आदेश और निरुपमा पाठक की हत्या। निरुपमा का विवाह यदि होता तो वह पारम्परिक सोच के अनुसार प्रतिलोम माना जाता। इसी सोच से उसके माता-पिता नहीं निकल पाये थे, हालॉकि निरुपमा निकल चुकी थी। यानी आज की पीढ़ी कहीं ज्यादा प्रगतिशील और समझदार है परंतु पुरानी पीढी़ जाति के बंधन को और मजबूत करना चाहती है।जातीय गणना में कई व्यावहारिक दिक्कतें हैं। 1931 के बाद जनगणना में जाति का जिक्र भी व्यवहारिक कारणों से ही बंद किया गया था। तब कई मामलों में यह पाया गया था कि लोग जिस जाति के होते थे अपने को उससे ऊंची जाति का बता देते थे। यही खतरा एक दूसरी तरह से आज भी दिखाई दे रहा है। चूंकि आज पूरी राजनीति जातीय वोट बैंक पर आधारित है, इसलिए बहुत सम्भव है कि अपनी-अपनी जातियों के बारे में संख्या बढ़ा चढ़ा कर पेश की जाएगी। 1881 की जनगणना में कुल 1885 अनुसूचित जातियों और अनुसूचित जनजातियों की पहचान की गयी थी। इसके बावजूद 2001 की जनगणना में इन जातियों की संख्या 18748 से अधिक हो गयी। इनमें से कई के नाम, उपनाम गैर-दलित, आदिवासी जातियों के थे। 1931 के बाद पिछले 70 वर्ष में कई जातियों के नाम बदल गये हैं, कई नयी जातियां सामने आ गयी हैं, कई जातियां दूसरों से मिल गयी हैं या सामाजिक वरीयता में ऊपर-नीचे हो गयी हैं। साथ ही विभिन्न राज्यों में पिछड़े वर्गों की सूचियां भी भिन्न-भिन्न हैं। सबसे बड़ा खतरा जाति आधारित जनगणना को लेकर नहीं है, खतरा यह है कि इससे मिलें आंकड़ों को बाद में राजनीति के हथियार के तौर पर इस्तेमाल किया जा सकता है। बल्कि किया ही जाएगा। यह भी हो सकता है कि कुछ जातियों को अगर ये आंकडे अगर उनकी उम्मीदों पर खरे उतरते नहीं दिखाई दिए तो वे इसे मानने से ही इनकार कर सकती हैं। ऐसे में जनगणना एक बेवजह राजनैतिक विवाद का कारण बन जाएगी। जबकि जनगणना इसके लिए होती नहीं है।

''नक्सली क्षेत्र में हम नहीं करेंगे जनगणना''

दंतेवाडा.

छत्तीसगढ़ के दंतेवाड़ा जिले के कोंटा ब्लाक के 69 शिक्षकों ने राष्ट्रीय जनगणना कार्य में तैनात किए गए शिक्षकों ने नक्सल प्रभावित क्षेत्न में जनगणना कार्य करने से इंकार कर दिया है।

कोंटा ब्लाक के इन शिक्षकों ने कलेक्टर श्रीमती रीना कंगाले को आवेदन देकर नक्सल प्रभावित क्षेत्न में जनगणना कार्य से उन्हें अलग करने का निवेदन किया था। शिक्षकों ने अपने आवेदन में नक्सलियों के भय और इलाका संवेदनशील क्षेत्न हो का उल्लेख किया है। इन शिक्षकों को जनगणना कार्य के लिए सुपरवाइजर नियुक्त किया गया है।

कलेक्टर ने शिक्षकों के जनगणना कार्य से इंकार करने को गंभीरता से लेते हुए सभी को कारण बताओं नोटिस दिया है। उन्होंने शिक्षकों से कहा है कि अगर किसी के भय अथवा किसी के दबाव में जनगणना कार्य करने से इंकार कर रहे हैं तो संबंधित के खिलाफ थाने में प्राथमिकी दर्ज कराएं। इसके अलावा कोई अन्य समस्या हो तो उसे स्पष्ट करें।उन्होंने कहा कि राष्ट्रीय महत्व के इस कार्य में किसी भी प्रकार की लापरवाही बरतने पर संबंधित के खिलाफ कड़ी कार्रवाई की जाएगी।इस विषय पर आज कोंटा में बैठक होने वाली है जिसमें जनगणना कार्य में नियुक्त अधिकारियों और कर्मचारियों से चर्चा की जाएगी।

जाति आधारित जनगणना : 2014 से पहले आकलन मुश्किल

जाति आधारित जनगणना शुरू होने के बाद भी इसके प्रामाणिक आंकड़े 2014 से पहले हासिल होना मुश्किल हैं। इनके आकलन और वर्गीकरण में तीन साल का समय लगने के आसार हैं।

गृह मंत्रालय का कहना है कि जनगणना करने वाले जाति प्रमाणित करने में सक्षम नहीं होंगे। जाति के निरीक्षण और सत्यापन के लिए अलग से मशक्कत करनी होगी। राज्यों मंे जातियों को लेकर समस्याएं हैं, जिससे उनका वर्गीकरण करना और कठिन हो जाएगा।

केंद्रीय गृह मंत्रालय के एक अधिकारी ने कहा,‘देशभर में करीब छह हजार जातियां और करीब 65 हजार से ज्यादा उपजातियां हैं। देश के एक सौ बीस करोड़ से ज्यादा लोगों के डाटा से उनकी जाति का आंकड़ा जुटाना जटिल काम है।’ आंकड़े जुटाने के बाद सत्यापन का काम सामाजिक अधिकारिता मंत्रालय को दिया जा सकता है। ऐसे में उसे भी इसकी तैयारी जल्द शुरू करनी होगी।

दो चरणों में जनगणना - पहला चरण : घरों को चिह्न्ति करने के साथ उनकी गिनती। दूसरा चरण : नेशनल पापुलेशन रजिस्टर के लिए आंकड़े जुटाए जाएंगे। 9 से 28 फरवरी के बीच 21 लाख से अधिक सरकारी कर्मचारी घर-घर जाकर सत्यापन करेंगे।

जाति आधारित जनगणना पर तैयार हुई सरकारलोकसभा में जाति आधारित जनगणना पर अधिकांश दलों को एकमत देखकर केंद्र सरकार इसके लिए तैयार हो गई है। प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने शुक्रवार को सदन में आश्वासन दिया कि जल्द ही कैबिनेट में इस मुद्दे को देखा जाएगा। वहीं, वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी ने संसद परिसर में कहा कि इस बार की जनगणना में जाति को शामिल कर लिया जाएगा। उन्होंने कहा कि हम जाति का विश्लेषण नहीं कर रहे हैं, बल्कि संख्या की गिनती की जाएगी। इससे पहले जब गृह मंत्री पी चिदंबरम ने जाति आधारित जनगणना पर अपना पक्ष रखने की कोशिश की तो विपक्ष उनके जवाब से संतुष्ट नहीं हुआ और सदन में हंगामा होने लगा। शोर-शराबे के चलते सदन की कार्यवाही स्थगित करनी पड़ी।यूं बदला माहौल : राजद सुप्रीमो लालू प्रसाद, सपा प्रमुख मुलायम सिंह यादव और जद-यू अध्यक्ष शरद यादव, भाजपा नेता गोपीनाथ मुंडे आदि सत्तापक्ष की बंेच पर पहुंचकर प्रधानमंत्री, कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष सोनिया गांधी और मुखर्जी से बात करने लगे। सोनिया ने लालू, मुलायम से अलग से बात की। इसके बाद मुखर्जी ने इन नेताओं को संकेत दे दिया कि सरकार जाति आधारित जनगणना के लिए तैयार है।

तृणमूल कांग्रेस के सांसद सुदीप बंदोपाध्याय ने कहा कि चिदंबरम के बयान के बाद जब सोनिया गांधी ने मुलायम और लालू से अलग से बात की, तभी लग गया था कि फैसला हो जाएगा। उनकी बात पर सोनिया मुस्करा दीं और बगल में बैठे मुखर्जी की ओर इशारा करती दिखीं।सबने किया स्वागत : प्रधानमंत्री के आश्वासन का सभी दलों के नेताओं ने स्वागत किया। राजद प्रमुख लालू यादव ने कहा कि आप पर पूरे सदन को भरोसा है। मुलायम ने प्रधानमंत्री और कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष दोनों को धन्यवाद दिया। जद-यू प्रमुख शरद यादव ने कहा कि यह मांग पिछले साठ साल से चली आ रही थी और सरकार ने बड़ा दिल दिखाया है।

जाति जनगणना में भावी सियासत

जाति के आधार पर जनगणना का सवाल केंद्र सरकार और कांग्रेस दोनों के लिए मधुमक्खी के छत्ते में हाथ डालने जैसा ही लग रहा है। केंद्र सरकार और कांग्रेस के शीर्ष नेतृत्व में बनी सहमति के बाद जाति जनगणना के सवाल पर भले ही प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने सकारात्मक आश्वासन देकर विरोधियों के आक्रोश को ठंडा कर दिया, लेकिन केंद्र सरकार और कांग्रेस के भीतर इस मसले पर अभी भी अलग राय जाहिर करने वालों की कमी नहीं है।
लोकसभा में जाति के आधार पर गिनती का विरोध करने वाले कांग्रेस सांसद भक्त चरण दास अभी भी अपनी राय पर कायम हैं। उनका कहना है कि जिन यादव बंधुओं को लोगों ने खारिज कर दिया, उनको जनगणना के बहाने अपनी राजनीतिक रोटी सेंकेने का नया मौका हाथ लगा है। चरण दास ने कहा कि आने वाले दिनों मंे जाति के आधार पर गिनती के भयावह परिणाम सामने आ सकते हैं। उनका कहना है कि इस मुद्दे का तात्कालिक लाभ जिसे भी हो जाए सामाजिक तानेबाने के लिए यह बहुत ही दुखद पहलू साबित होगा। कांग्रेस में शीर्ष स्तर पर कहा जा रहा है कि सरकार के फैसले से मंडल और पिछड़ों की राजनीति करने वालों का दांव फेल हो जाएगा और कांग्रेस फायदे की स्थिति में रहेगी।
कानून मंत्री वीरप्पा मोइली के मुताबिक जाति के आधार पर राजनीति करने वालों की हकीकत सभी जान चुके हैं। उनका मानना है कि जाति की सही तस्वीर सामने आने से विकास केंद्रित योजनाओं का सही वितरण जरूरत के मुताबिक संभव होगा। मोइली की लाइन पर पार्टी के कई मंत्री और नेता खड़े हैं। हालांकि पिछले दिनों कैबिनेट बैठक में ही यह स्पष्ट हो गया था जब आधा दर्जन से ज्यादा केंद्रीय मंत्रियों ने गृह मंत्री पी चिदंबरम के तर्क को खारिज करके जाति आधारित जनगणना का समर्थन किया था।
पार्टी के रणनीतिक समूह में शामिल एक नेता के मुताबिक पूरी संसद की बात को एकतरफा फैसले से खारिज नहीं किया जा सकता है। एक वरिष्ठ नेता के मुताबिक सही तस्वीर जानना सबके हित में है। सांसद बेनी प्रसाद वर्मा इस सवाल को सिरे से खारिज करते हैं कि इससे जाति की राजनीति करने वाले दलों और नेताओं को कोई फायदा होगा। उन्होंने कहा कि देश में मंडल और कमंडल दोनों ही धड़ों की राजनीति का दौर समाप्त हो गया है। उनके मुताबिक जब जाति की हकीकत सभी मानते हैं तो इसकी सही संख्या जानने से परहेज की किसी भी तरह की कोशिश से जातिवादी सियासत करने वालों को ही अनायास एक मुद्दा मिलेगा।
कांग्रेस में ऐसे नेताओं की भी कमी नहीं है जिनका मानना है कि कांग्रेसनीत सरकार के संख्या के लिहाज से नाजुक समीकरण को देखते हुए संसद के बहुमत को टालना सरकार के लिए नई मुसीबत खड़ी कर सकता था। लिहाजा सरकार अहम मौकों पर सरकार के साथ खड़े लालू-मुलायम जैसे सहयोगियों को भी नाराज करने के पक्ष में नहीं थी।
सूत्रों का कहना है कि खुद कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष भी जाति के आधार पर जनगणना की मांग करने वालों की संख्या देखकर इसके पक्ष में खड़ी नजर आईं। सूत्रों का कहना है कि वर्ष 2005 में भी सोनिया गांधी की अगुआई वाले राष्ट्रीय सलाहकार परिषद की ओर से जाति के आधार पर जनगणना का मामला उठाया गया था। सूत्रों के मुताबिक कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष इस मामले में सदन का मत जानने को विशेष उत्सुक थीं। ऐन मौके पर प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह और वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी का मत भी गृह मंत्री पी चिदंबरम की उन सभी तार्किक मसौदों पर पानी फेर गया जो उन्होंने जाति आधारित जनगणना के प्रस्ताव को खारिज करने के लिए तैयार किए थे।

जनगणना के समर्थक मंत्रियों और सांसदों का तर्क है कि जब हरेक योजना में पिछड़ों व वंचित तबकों की संख्या जानने की जरूरत होती है तो सरकार को हकीकत जानने से क्यों परहेज करना चाहिए। हालांकि केंद्र सरकार के सूत्रों का कहना है कि जनगणना के लिए तय होने वाली प्रक्रिया में इस बात का जरूर प्रयास होगा कि किस तरह से जाति गणना से होने वाले नुकसान को कम किया जा सके।
‘धर्म और भाष भी बने जनगणना का आधार’
जाति आधारित जनगणना के मुद्दे पर जल्द कोई फैसला लेने के सरक ार के हालिया आश्वासन के बीच, दिल्ली अल्पसंख्यक आयोग ने जनगणना फॉर्म में धर्म और भाष क क ॉलम भी जोड़ने क ा सुझाव दिया है। आयोग के अध्यक्ष क माल फारूकी ने शनिवार को संवाददाताओं से क हा, ‘अगर जनगणना में जाति के साथ धर्म और भाष को भी बुनियाद आधार बनाया जाता है तो इससे देश के अलग-अलग तबकों की असली स्थिति का पता चलेगा और उनके हित में योजनाएं बनाने में मदद मिलेगी।’ फारूकी ने जाति आधारित जनगणना पर क हा कि इस हकीकत को भुलाया नहीं जा सकता कि भारतीय समाज जाति आधारित है। जाति आधारित जनगणना से मिले महत्वपूर्ण आंकड़े अलग-अलग जातियों के विकास का नया खाका तैयार क रने का काम आसान कर देंगे।

जनगणना एक नजर मंे
> वर्ष 2011 की जनगणना देश में 1872 के बाद 15वीं और आजादी के बाद 7वीं होगी।
> जनगणना का काम दो चरणों में किया जाएगा। पहले चरण में घरों का चिह्न्ति और उनकी गणना की जाएगी। दूसरे चरण में आबादी की गणना का काम किया जाएगा।
> इस काम में देश के हर व्यक्ति और हर घर की गणना होगी। इसके लिए 21 लाख सरकारी कर्मचारी काम करेंगे।
> वर्ष 1931 के बाद की यह पहली जनगणना होगी जिसमें जाति संबंधी प्रo होगा। इससे पहले अनुसूचित जाति और जनजाति से संबंधित प्रश्न ही पूछे जाते रहे हैं।
> केंद्र सरकार के मुताबिक वर्ष 2001 की जनगणना के दौरान भी जाति संबंधी प्रoA को शामिल करने का सुझाव सामाजिक अधिकारिता मंत्रालय ने दिया था। लेकिन उस समय सरकार ने इस पर कोई निर्णय नहीं लिया।
> जनगणना किसी भी रूप में नागरिकता का प्रमाण नहीं है। यह भारत के नागरिकों या विदेश में रहने वाले भारतीय नागरिकों या फिर भारत के अधिकृत भू-भाग मंे रह रहे लोगों की पहचान का काम है।

Caste Census - consensus for the same

“If the government can count trees and nallahs (drains), what is the problem in counting castes (in the census),” other backward caste leader Mulayam Singh Yadav asked in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Just as one thought the star of north India’s best-known OBC leaders, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad, was falling, the duo seem to have been revitalised with the government conceding their demand to include caste in the census.
Two emotive issues on the OBC political agenda have lost steam: quotas in government jobs, implemented in the early 1990s, and reservations in education, taken up during the United Progressive Alliance’s first avatar (2004-09). OBC chieftains, without much success, tried to whip up emotion recently by denouncing the women’s Bill as anti-OBC.
A caste census may just help them reactivate the OBC agenda.
We may finally know after 80 years which castes are the most numerous in India, and which number the least. The British enumerated castes from 1871 to 1931, after which the caste-based census in India was discontinued.
It wasn’t revived post-independence, for it was thought to be divisive.
At present, censuses do show the numbers of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and Muslims – three social groups seen to be on the margins of India’s growth story – but leave out the OBCs, the fourth group seen by many as backward.
OBC population figures are thus just estimates, ranging from 52 per cent as stated by the Mandal Commission to 41 per cent as given by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO).
“This will open another Pandora’s Box and activate fresh demands,” political scientist Jyotirmaya Sharma of Hyderabad Central University said. “It has not been spelt out what a caste census would achieve in principle.”
Delhi University historian Pradip Kumar Datta disagrees. “The caste census would provide useful data on groups that are getting state benefits. The argument that it will increase casteism is unconvincing. Elections too are fought on caste issues. Will you ban them too?”
Not being a favourite of the OBCs in UP and Bihar — states that account for almost a fourth of the 543 Lok Sabha seats — the Congress is unlikely to gain from a caste census; the reason why the party has been reluctant. But an apparent understanding with Lalu and Mulayam, who may support the government during number-counts in Parliament in return for a caste census, seemed to have done the trick.
This is at a time when the SP and RJD — hostile to the government in recent times — have made some positive gestures. The two parties have supported the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill and walked out of the Lok Sabha during the cut motion vote, indirectly helping the government.
Three of the five Congress leaders who spoke during the debate on the topic in Parliament opposed the idea.
True, the party’s political interest would normally lie in leaving the OBCs alone and enlisting Muslim support, breaking the RJD and SP’s Muslim-Yadav bastion. The Congress’ support base in the Gangetic plain till about 1990 was upper castes, Dalits and Muslims.
The Ranganath Mishra report, which recommended that a part of the OBC quota pie be given to religious minorities, has been seen as a Congress step at attracting Muslims and marginalising OBC parties like the SP and RJD.
However, it is the BJP — dubbed a Bania-Brahmin paty for long — that has sprung a surprise by backing a caste census. The reason: as Muslims in UP and Bihar are likely to shift towards the Congress after the Sachar and Ranganath Mishra reports (the Sachar report highlighted the plight of Muslims in the country), the BJP wants to attract OBCs.
With the Yadav population in UP and Bihar estimated at 8.7 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, the SP and RJD may fare poorly without the support of Muslims (18 per cent of the population in UP and 16 per cent in Bihar).
BJP leader Gopinath Munde, the present OBC face of the party, had said during the party’s recent national council in Indore: “We will not allow minorities eat up the quota share of Hindu OBCs, as recommended by the Ranganath Mishra Commission.”
The BJP enjoyed steady non-Yadav OBC support in UP in the 1990s, which was lost by up to 20 percentage points after 2000, aiding the party’s decline. It also lost OBC leaders Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh. However, it still has prominent OBC Chief Ministers in Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Call up or email Census officials if you have been missed

Have you been left out of Census exercise?

Just call up or e-mail the authorities to inform them about the 'miss' and they will soon dispatch officials to include the household in the count. The mammoth census exercise will cover 1.2 billion residents spread over 35 states and Union Territories.

The office of the Census Commissioner of India has launched a toll free helpline number -1800 110 111- for citizens who can call and inform the call centre if they have been missed by the Census officials. "The call centre will then route the missing report to the official responsible who will subsequently ask the enumerators in his jurisdiction to pay a visit to the concerned citizen on a priority basis," a Census official said.

An individual can also send an e-mail to 'rgoffice.rgi@nic.in' informing the Census authorities that they have not been counted, the official said. The facilities of the helpline and e-mail can be utilised both for the Census exercise and the enumeration under the National Population Register, the official added. All the states and Union Territories have earmarked date for commencement of the exercise and if any citizen finds that his family has not been covered in the exercise he or she can inform us, he said.

Apart from the online and telephone facilities, citizens can also inform the local Tehsildar, ward officer of his area who is the designated officer for Census about the non-coverage. The Commissioner, Collector, or District Magistrate can also be contacted in such cases.

The Census would cover all 640 districts, 5,767 tehsils, 7742 towns and more than six lakh villages in the country. More than 24 crore households will be visited and 1.20 billion people enumerated during this exercise. To carry out this massive exercise, more than 2.5 million people will be engaged including retired government employees.

Appropriate decision on caste census shortly: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that Cabinet will shortly take a decision on the issue of conducting caste-based census.

"The Home Minister has laid a detail statement on the issue of Census 2011. I am aware of the views of honorable members belonging to all sections of the House. I assure you the Cabinet will take decision shortly," the Prime Minister said on the floor of the House.

The Prime Minister decided to respond after Lalu and Mulayam Yadav met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and emphasised the need to accept the need for a caste based census.The last caste based census was done in 1931.

Caste census sees political consensus

The Cabinet may have been unable to hammer out a consensus on the demand for caste-based census, but the issue saw a rare unanimity being displayed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, with parties rising above ideological distinction to seek a head-count on the basis of caste identities.

The oneness in the views of political parties in the Lok Sabha is likely to exert pressure on the Manmohan Singh government to go in for caste-based census. OBC parties such as the Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal (United) and former Union minister Beni Prasad Verma, a former SP stalwart who now adorns the Congress benches, warned of a major social upheaval if the demand was not accepted. While SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav warned those going against the `majority view’ of getting into trouble, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav described caste system as a ``volcano ready to erupt if the government fails to take steps to uplift the downtrodden.’’ And Mr Verma talked about a `rebellion’ on the lines of what had taken place in the post-Mandal era in the 90s, ``which had given birth to leaders such as Mulayam Singh ji, Lalu Prasad ji and even Mayawati ji.’’

``When the government can count the number of trees and nullahs in the survey, what is the problem in adding a column to include castes in the ongoing exercise,’’ Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav asked while participating in the debate on the demand for caste-based census. The SP leader said he was happy that the issue of inclusion of castes in the census exercise was discussed by the Cabinet on Tuesday. ``While some supported the idea, there were some who opposed it. It is because of our mentality (that the idea was opposed),’’ he said.

In a veiled attack on those who reportedly opposed the move in the Cabinet meeting, he said, ``one day, people will come to know who supported and who opposed the move.’’ Likening caste to “garbage”, he said in a bid to cleanse it, the makers of the Constitution have made provisions to provide special opportunities for the deprived. His views were endorsed strongly by Mr Sharad Yadav. ``Be it good or bad, caste system in India is a reality, where injustice is meted out to the downtrodden at every step,’’ he contended, adding, ``The system of caste in India is worse than apartheid, where the distinction was merely on the colour of the skin. Here, the discrimination leads to exploitation at every stage,’’ he said. He said even political parties distribute tickets based on castes. ``It is unfair that you still do not want castes to be included in census,’’ the JD(U) leader protested. The BJP’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Mr Gopinath Munde too said that caste was a reality which just could be obliterated. ``I went for an inter-caste marriage, and yet my caste identity remains as strong as before,’’ the former Maharashtra deputy chief minister, who’s himself an OBC, said.

BJP, RJD clash in LS on census issue

Discussion on caste-based census in the Lok Sabha got derailed today with BJP raising the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators, clashing with RJD chief Lalu Prasad who wanted the issue of backwards to take precedence.

Initiating the debate on Census 2011, Ananth Kumar (BJP) raised the issue illegal migrants from Bangladesh getting registered as Indian citizens. He said the matter was related to "internal disturbance and external aggression".

At this, RJD chief Lalu Prasad charged Kumar with propagating BJP's agenda by "repeatedly talking of Pakistan and Bangladesh and ignoring the issue of backwards in the census exercise."

An agitated Kumar then said he would raise the issue suggested by Prasad but would first take up the issue related to national security.

BJP favours caste data in Census

BJP today said it favoured collecting caste data in the on-going Census as correct figures were not available, handicapping the Supreme Court, Mandal Commission and other institutions while dealing with the issue.

"The last Census in which caste was included was in 1931. Since then Partition of the country has taken place when several people went to Pakistan or came to India. As such we are totally unaware of the correct caste data," Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia told while supporting inclusion of caste in the Census.

The Union Cabinet discussed the issue yesterday but failed to reach a consensus. However, sources said most members favoured inclusion of caste in Census.

Census panel alerts Orissa officials on migration

The census department has asked the Orissa government to ensure accuracy in counting of people and house listing in some pockets of the state as they reported a decrease in population in the last census, an official said Tuesday. At least 101 out of 171 “tehsils” (sub-district administrative units) responsible for conducting census in several villages under their jurisdiction had shown less than the state average growth rate of population as per 2001 census, according to official data.
The national growth rate of population for the decade 1991-2001 was 21.54 percent. In comparison, Orissa only showed a growth rate of population of 16.25 percent. The Patnagarh tehsil in Bolangir district had reported the alarming decrease of population by 4.55 percent over the decade 1991-2001. There were at least 17 numbers of tehsils, which showed a population growth rate of less than 10 percent.
“The abnormal rates may be due to migration,” Bishnupada Sethi, director of census operation in Orissa, told. “We have asked local authorities to create public awareness in all the pockets, which reported less than normal growth of population,” he said. He said they had village-wise information for the entire state and have offered to share it with the officials of the district administration concerned for any review.
The 2011 Census of India is being conducted in two phases, namely house listing operation and population enumeration. The house listing operation along with collection of information for preparation of a National Population Register started in the State from April 7 and will conclude on May 22.

Gurgaon ropes in private school teachers for count

If your children happen to study in one of the prominent private schools in Gurgaon, chances are they may not be having many classes this entire week -- thanks to a desperate measure by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon.

Teachers from at least 28 private schools have been roped in for census duty by the administration after a large number of government employees produced medical certificates to exempt themselves from the work. The Haryana state-level census programme was launched from Gurgaon on Sunday by chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The district was to have 2,048 government employees as enumerators apart from 223 supervisors. However, as many as 1,800 employees never turned up for training in spite of repeated notices. Most of them came up with frivolous excuses in order to excuse themselves for not doing the census duty, with a majority submitting medical certificates citing illness. The desperate authorities then decided to rope in teachers of 52 private schools in Gurgaon, including reputed ones like Shri Ram and Amity, to fill in the numbers. Officially though, the administration said only 28 private schools were sounded out for the work. "We were running short of manpower to conduct the census survey till Monday but we have asked the private schools in Gurgaon to cooperate and send their teachers to carry out the task. We hope this will not impact teaching in schools as most of these institutions have closed for summer vacations," said Rajesh Khullar, commissioner, MCG. That, however, isn't true since many schools are open at least till the rest of this week.

The teachers said they were being arm-twisted into doing government's work. "This request came as an unpleasant surprise for us. About a fortnight ago, I received a letter from the commissioner asking me to send all my teachers for census duty. It also states that those who refuse will be imprisoned for three years. Our school closes for summer vacation on May 10. I fail to understand why are they doing this to us. In private schools like ours, parents pay through their nose so that their children get good education. I have sent most of my teachers for this survey but the syllabus is getting effected," said a principal of a private school, requesting anonymity. The problem does not end just there. The teachers, most of whom are women, have been assigned to far-flung areas. "Some of my woman teachers have been sent to villages like Kanhai, which has a high crime rate. I am being forced to send a few class four employees to accompany them for safety. Most of the teachers reside in Delhi and are finding it hard to reach these areas. Moreover, their vacation travel plans with their families have gone haywire," she added. Others, too, felt they were trapped. "Even though we understand the need for us to do this survey, the clause which says that we can be imprisoned for three years if we refuse to do so is what is bothering us. Of course, we don't want to be on the wrong side of law. The security for woman teachers will be an issue and I hope the authorities look into this matter," said Manju Bharat Ram, chairperson, Shri Ram schools. Under section 6 of the Indian Census Act, 1948, any person in charge of a lunatic asylum, hospital, workhouse, prison, reformatory or lock-up or of any public, charitable or educational institution can be asked to perform the duties of the census officer. A person who refuses to perform these duties shall be deemed to have committed an offence under section 187 of the Indian Penal Code.

The municipal commissioner, however, insisted that according to the law anybody meeting certain qualifications can be asked to do the duty. "According to the Indian Census Act anybody fulfilling certain qualifications can be asked to do the census survey and if they refuse to do so they can be imprisoned for up to three years. It is a cognizable offence. I will be taking action against those government employees who have not turned up for duty," he said.

Union Cabinet Discusses Caste Data in Census

Against the backdrop of demand for inclusion of caste data in the on-going Census, the Union Cabinet today discussed the issue at length but there was no consensus.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, took up the issue to ascertain views of its members ahead of a discussion expected in Parliament tomorrow.The issue, which was included in the cabinet agenda an hour before the meeting, saw many ministers favouring inclusion of caste data in the census, sources said. However, there was a feeling against carrying out the exercise at this stage as the enumeration of the population has already begun since April 1.

Sources said another opinion voiced in the meeting was that census is not the "right mechanism" for determining the caste data. The discussion was inconclusive and it was decided that the matter would be debated in the next cabinet meeting as well. Leaders, mostly from Other Backward Castes, cutting across party lines have demanded that caste be included in the census exercise. A discussion on the issue is scheduled for tomorrow in Parliament.

The last census in which caste data was collected, was in 1931. Even Law Minister M Veerappa Moily has agreed to include caste in census.Opposition parties, including BJP, SP, RJD, JD(U) and CPI, have been demanding that since reservation and other benefits were given to people on the basis of caste, government should include it in the census data being collected across the country.Raising the issue in Lok Sabha yesterday, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj had said government should agree to a debate on allowing caste-based census to resolve the issue. Among the several ministers who participated in today's cabinet discussion on caste census were Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, M Veerappa Moily, A Raja, Anand Sharma and Farooq Abdullah who articulated pros and cons of the issue, sources said.Urban Housing Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy and Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran also took part in the discussions.

The census operation comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Caste-based census not possible at present stage: Moily

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily on Monday said there is need for a caste-based census, but asserted that it was not possible at the present stage, as the process has just begun.

"Now the census (2011) has already started and formats are being finalised. So how it would be done at this stage," said Moily outside the Parliament."I had written to the Prime Minister six months back for it (caste-based census)," he added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are also demanding caste-based census in the country." After 1931, no caste-based data was prepared and the Centre also does not have any caste-based data of its own. Government depends upon states for it," said Moily."It is required for implementation of different schemes and employment programmes for the OBCs," he added.

Demanding for a caste based census keeping especially backward sections in mind, the Samajwadi Party on April 20 targeted the centre for conspiring against interest of OBCs.Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, which was all set to launch census in February 2011 have ill intentions in denying to conduct it on caste basis.Stressing that caste based census was instrumental in formulating the government schemes, targeting sections lacking in development, Yadav said, several welfare schemes meant for ackward castes and minorities initiated after independence were based on 1931 census which was carried on caste basis.

Oppn wants govt to include caste question in census

The opposition has criticised the Centre for not including caste-figures and economic status of people in the census data. Following the Opposition onslaught, the government agreed to have a full-fledged discussion on the subject under Rule 193, which does not entail voting, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Raising the issue soon after the House reassembled at 2 pm, Opposition Leader Sushma Swaraj said government should agree to a debate on allowing caste-based census, which could also compile data on poverty indices to settle dispute on the actual poverty figures. She also expressed serious concern over the insertion of a new column, ‘nationality as declared’, which allowed the people to declare their nationality. ``Earlier, officials involved in census operations used to first verify nationality claims of the people. The new system would legitimise the claims of illegal immigrants, who had crossed into the country from countries such as Bangladesh,’’ she opined.

Later in the day, former BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu, while speaking to newspersons, asked the government to delink the census operation from the exercise to create the National Population Register. ``Our fear is that clubbing the two operations together would open up possibilities for illegal immigrants to legitimise their status for good,’’ he said. BJP has already given notice for a discussion on caste-based census. Similar notices had been given by the Samajwadi Party and RJD.