BHUBANESWAR : The Opposition BJD and Congress on Monday demanded that the Centre as well as the state government announce the modalities based on which the caste census will be done the next year.
Former minister and convenor of the BJD OBC cell Arun Sahoo said the Centre should first announce the criteria. “The caste census should contain social, economic and educational status of the OBC people. This will allow the governments to find out the economic condition, and educational and social status of the OBCs,” he said adding, this way government intervention would be easier.
Welcoming the decision of the Centre for caste enumeration, Sahoo said BJD had been demanding it from the beginning. “But it took more than two decades for the BJP to realise that unless caste enumeration is done, there can be no real development,” he added.
Echoing similar demands, former union minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena said, “A caste census will justify the demand of the OBCs for 54 per cent reservation in jobs as well as education. The state government should also initiate steps for lifting of 50 per cent cap on reservation imposed by the Supreme Court.”