CHENNAI: The TVK government, on Thursday, promised to conduct a ‘social justice’ survey after the union government completes the caste enumeration along with the ongoing population census. Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu told TNIE that the government’s long-term objective is to carry out a comprehensive caste census across Tamil Nadu, but there is an immediate need for a focused survey of the Adi Dravidar population, similar to the exercise undertaken for tribal communities.
In his customary address at the Assembly on Thursday, Governor Rajendra V Arlekar said, “It is a fundamental policy of this government that true social justice lies in every community getting due representation. To fulfil this policy and promise, we will urge the centre to swiftly complete the caste enumeration in conjunction with the ongoing population census. After the union government completes the caste enumeration, the Government of Tamil Nadu will conduct the social justice survey.”
Asked how the social justice survey differs from the caste census to be conducted by the Central government, Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu told reporters at the secretariat that it could be a socio-economic survey and that the state government would deliberate on its nature and how to conduct it.
“I submitted a petition to CM C Joseph Vijay in this regard two days ago. A detailed socio-economic survey would help assess the community’s family income, occupation, land ownership, educational status, school and college enrolment, dropout rates, and access to welfare schemes,” he said.
Stressing the importance of evidence-based policymaking, Vanni Arasu said the exercise would provide crucial data on the community’s actual socio-economic conditions and help identify factors hindering its advancement.
“The outcome would be that the intermediate castes that have been talking of caste pride will be polarised even more so. Already society is polarised along caste lines, and this outcome would enable majoritarianism,” Punitha Pandian, editor of Dalit Murasu, critically observed.
“We have the latest SC/ST figures. We only need the number of OBCs and BCs. The centre has already assured to record this data. So, I don’t understand the purpose behind the Social Justice Survey,” Pandian added.
‘Focus on Adi Dravidars’
There is an immediate need for a focused survey of the Adi Dravidar population, similar to the exercise undertaken for tribal communities, Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu told TNIE
