Ladakh to lead Independent India’s first caste census, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• Ladakh will initiate the Population Enumeration (PE) phase of the Census 2027 on August 17, 2026, making it the first region in Independent India to conduct a caste census.
• The census in Ladakh will feature an open-ended column for caste enumeration, allowing respondents to declare their specific caste.
• Due to security concerns regarding defence establishments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Ladakh's census will utilize traditional paper schedules, deviating from the nationwide digital census.
• The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI) has notified the early commencement of the census in Ladakh and other snow-bound areas, running until September 30, 2026.
• This early phase in Ladakh precedes the main national census exercise, which is scheduled for February 2027.

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Detailed Insights:

• The Census of India is a Union subject under Article 246 of the Constitution and is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948.
• The last comprehensive caste census in India was conducted in 1931 during the British Raj; post-independence, only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) were enumerated in the decennial census to avoid social divisions.
• The Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 collected caste data but was primarily aimed at identifying beneficiaries for welfare schemes, not for general population statistics, and faced challenges with data accuracy.
• The open-ended methodology for caste enumeration, where enumerators record the caste as declared by the respondent, was also used in the pre-test phase conducted in 16 states and Union Territories.
• Union Territories like Ladakh are administrative divisions directly governed by the central government through an appointed administrator.
• The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the de facto boundary that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Census of India: A decennial exercise mandated by the Constitution to collect demographic, social, and economic data of the entire population.
• Caste Census: The enumeration of caste-wise population data, last fully conducted in 1931.
• Population Enumeration (PE): The second phase of the census, focusing on collecting individual demographic and socio-economic details.
• Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC): A survey conducted in 2011 to identify beneficiaries for government welfare programs based on socio-economic indicators and caste.
• Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI): The statutory authority under the Ministry of Home Affairs responsible for planning and conducting the decennial census.
• Union Territory (UT): An administrative division in India that is directly governed by the central government.
• Line of Actual Control (LAC): The de facto border separating Indian and Chinese controlled territories.