New Delhi, May 27: The government could go in for inclusion of caste in census, according to indications that emerged today from a meeting of the Union Cabinet which decided to set up a Group of Ministers to discuss modalities in this regard.
During the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, several ministers, including M Veerappa Moily, Jaipal Reddy, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mukul Wasnik and Dayanidhi Maran favoured inclusion of caste in census, sources said.
There was a general feeling that inclusion of caste in census exercise was necessary in the changed scenario.
Some ministers said an early decision on the issue should be taken as the Monsoon Session was not far away and several political parties have been very vocal in demanding inclusion of caste in census.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, who had earlier expressed reservations to the proposal, was cautious on the matter, they said.
Wasnik reportedly sugested that the Home Ministry alone was competent to do the exercise and not ministries of Social Justice or Tribal Welfare. He said the Home Ministry was doing it for the last several decades, the sources said.
Some ministers even said there was no need for a GoM and recalled that the sentiments of members during the discussion on the issue in the Lok Sabha was overwhelmingly for inclusion of caste in census exercise.
Moily, who has been vocal votary for inclusion of castes in census, said castes could easily be included in round two and three of the exercise when the work on National Population Register begins.
Kapil Sibal and M S Gill expressed reservations on including castes in census as the exercise has already begun, the sources said.
Some said that inclusion of caste in census was a giagantic exercise as the country has over 17,000 castes and sub-castes, some of which are scheduled castes in some states but not in some others.
A minister said none of the members opposed the inclusion as such but wondered how far such a course of action would be in consonance with the goal of a caste-less society.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who has been heading several GoMs on sensitive subjects, could be given the task to head the group to look into the issue.
Anand Sharma, who had spoken against inclusion of castes in census, today presented a balanced view on the sensitive subject.
Sources said the GoM would also finalise the modalities involved if castes are to be included in census.
While no time-frame has been set, the general feeling among the ministers was that the GoM should come out with a decision early.
The Cabinet, which first discussed the issue at length on May 4, has been divided on it.
The Home Ministry is understood to have opined that the present exercise of enumeration should go on and caste could be included later at the time of taking biometric samples.
Several political parties, including Samajwadi Party, RJD and JD(U), have been pressing for caste-based census but the government is moving cautiously on the politically-sensitive matter.
–PTI