Caste Based Survey in Bihar
Current Situation:
- The 2022 caste-based survey was recently released by the state government of Bihar. The conscious choice to not gather caste data has been placed outside or beyond politics, while the decision to collect it has been viewed as obviously “political” for far too long.
Previous caste-based census initiatives:
- Comprehensive caste data was previously collected by the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as well as the Union government itself (in the unfortunate Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011). However, for reasons that are yet unknown, the data was never made public.
- However, the Bihar government has not yet made available the crucial additional information (about the socioeconomic standing of caste groups) that will enable us to interpret the publicly available caste numbers in a socially meaningful way.
Caste-based politics:
- According to the well-known maxim regarding the modern state by Max Weber. States are no longer characterised by their exclusive right to use force within a given region. Their monopoly on aggregated social statistics defines them as much, if not more, than anything else.
- Because they are essential to controlling popular attitudes, opinions, and sentiments, national statistics are invaluable tools that are vital to the exercise and upkeep of political power in contemporary democratic democracies.
- Furthermore, social statistics—numbers that characterise our collective identity—are always huge news because authoritarian regimes need to regulate them.
- Because of this, the initial steps towards authoritarianism frequently focus on gaining control over organisations that generate social data on inflation, growth, employment, and health — in other words, figures that suggest something about the electorate’s level of well-being or lack thereof.
- Within the more general category of social statistics, caste data is a specific case. It provides information about the smaller identity-containers, or castes, that make up the greater national entity.
The caste-based census has two sides:
- CBC is significant because these data have the ability to draw attention to societal injustices, which could spark civil unrest and conflict and threaten to undermine or topple the governing regime’s political hegemony.
- Furthermore, it is an unavoidable first step towards a sincere political dialogue on the actual disparities and differences in caste.
- Caste is likely the most significant factor influencing life opportunities in today’s world, so it needs to be taken into account. Thus, caste distinctions are actual distinctions. It is dishonest politics to advocate for “unity” without addressing these divides.
- Just as true political unity is the negotiated overcoming of differences rather than their denial or repression, courage is not the absence of fear (which could be sheer folly) but rather its overcoming.
- But the most persuasive, persistent, and widespread criticism of caste enumeration has been that it will deepen caste divides and impede or postpone the transition to a casteless society.
- While some of this is true, it is eclipsed by a more important and compelling truth: before we can achieve a future free from caste, we must recognise and address the reality of caste inequality in the present. Caste divisions cannot be eliminated by censoring or suppressing them.
An improved planning and execution of projects and activities for the wellbeing of the vulnerable sector based on data:
- This survey will provide information on the precise number of Dalits and Backward Classes in a data-driven economy. It will also provide information on education levels, standard of living, employment (private, government, gazetted, non-gazetted, etc.), work efficiency, additional sources of income, number of earning family members, etc.
- The state government would be assisted in developing development strategies by having accurate information about the number of castes in the village, the number of dependents on a single person, etc.
In summary:
- In addition to providing a thorough picture of the demographics of the caste, this survey data highlights significant issues pertaining to social fairness, representation, and political tactics in Bihar and throughout India.
- But it’s important to make sure that this data isn’t misused for identity-based politics, but rather applied positively for focused growth.
