Ladakh set to lead caste enumeration in India
This is a short front-page news item, not an opinion piece. It reports that Ladakh will lead the way in showing how caste is to be recorded in a Census for the first time since Independence. The second phase of the Census — the one that actually counts people — begins there, and in other snowbound areas, on 17 August. The schedule is expected to carry around forty questions, with an open-ended column for caste. Although this is India's first digital Census, paper forms are being printed for Ladakh as an exception. Only this outline is public so far.
Where this sits
- GS1Population and associated issues; census and demographic data; social diversity
- GS2Government policies and interventions; mechanisms for vulnerable sections
- EssayIdentity, data and social justice in India
Points discussed
Ladakh leads the exercise
Ladakh, one of the two youngest Union Territories in the country, is set to lead the way in demonstrating how caste will be enumerated for the first time in Independent India.
The second phase begins on 17 August
Population Enumeration, the second phase of the Census and the one that counts individuals, starts on 17 August in Ladakh and other snowbound areas. Snowbound districts have long been enumerated on their own calendar, because passes close and valleys become unreachable for months.
Around forty parameters
The schedule for this phase is likely to ask questions on about 40 parameters. That figure is the extent of what has been stated; the individual questions have not been set out.
An open-ended column for caste
The schedule is to provide an open-ended column for caste enumeration, meaning the respondent states a caste in their own words rather than choosing from a printed list. This is what makes the round significant: a full Census has not asked the general population about caste since 1931.
A digital Census with a paper exception
This is India's first digital Census, with data captured on an app. Officials are making an exception for Ladakh by printing a sufficient number of paper schedules, for the obvious reason that connectivity and power cannot be assumed in that terrain.
Summary and analysis are written by The Insight Express and reviewed before publishing. We link to the original report; we do not reproduce it.