"Mallikarjun Kharge, I have written letters to PM requesting for caste-based census:" Rajasthan CM Gehlot
May 23, 2023
Udaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 23: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and he have written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct a caste-based census across the country.
"Caste-based Census should be done. Mallikarjun Kharge and I have written letters to the PM requesting a Caste-based Census. Supreme Court put a stay order on the Caste-based survey in Bihar," Gehlot said while talking to media today.
He further said that with a 10 per cent reservation for EWS, a 50 per cent ceiling for reservation has been crossed.
"We want that everyone gets their due as far as the reservation is concerned," he added.
Recently, Bihar conducted a caste-based survey in the state.
The Bihar cabinet, on June 2 last year, decided to conduct the caste-based survey in the state months after the Union government ruled out such an exercise at the national level.
The normal decadal census counts religious groups and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes separately.
House-listing was conducted in the first leg of the survey before data collection including the financial status of people in the second phase began for a budget tailored for the welfare of weaker sections of society and better implementation of schemes.
The second phase of the survey began on April 15 and was to continue till May 15.
However, Patna high court ordered the state government to put on hold the caste-based survey in the state after questioning the Nitish Kumar-led government's legislative competence to carry out such an exercise and flagging issues over data integrity and security.
After the Patna HC order, the Supreme Court also turned down the Bihar government's plea to stay the Patna high court order.
