NEW DELHI: Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday advocated for the simultaneous conduct of the decadal census and a caste census in India and questioned the government’s reluctance to undertake them. Kharge urged the Modi government during Zero Hour to immediately commence the two exercises.
Criticising the government for the delays in conducting the census, Kharge claimed many people had been excluded from the benefits of welfare schemes as a result.
Expressing concern over the postponement, he said India conducted the census every ten years since 1881, even during wars, emergencies, and other crises. He accused the government of being reluctant to undertake this crucial exercise.
He said, “This year’s budget has allocated only Rs 575 crore for the census. The government is reluctant to conduct the census in the country.”
He argued for a caste census along with the general census. He said it is feasible because the government already collects data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and could, therefore, gather data on other castes as well.
He warned that delaying the census would have serious consequences, as a lack of “accurate and updated data” would lead to arbitrary and ineffective policies.