Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. File.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

The Congress on Monday (October 7, 2024) questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the “delay” in the Census and asserted that it is only through a caste count that full and meaningful social, economic, and political justice can be ensured in education and employment.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that in the midst of its political transition and economic turmoil, Sri Lanka has just announced that its latest Population and Housing Census — last done in 2012 — will begin Monday (October 7, 2024).

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“What about India? The decennial Census was due in 2021. There is still no sign of it happening,” Mr. Ramesh said in a post on X.

Over 10 crore Indians are being denied benefits under the National Food Security Act, 2013 or the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana because still the 2011 Census enumeration is being used, he said.

And what about integrating questions on caste in the census, as is being demanded by Congress and all other political parties, he asked.

“Detailed enumeration of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has been taking place every ten years since 1951. What is now needed is a similar detailed count of OBCs and other castes,” Mr. Ramesh said.

It is only through a caste census that full and meaningful social, economic, and political justice can be ensured in education and employment, the Congress general secretary asserted.

“Why is the non-biological PM continuing to delay the Census, that will also be a caste count?” Mr. Ramesh said.