Source: www.domain-b.com
INDIA, May 8, 2010: The national Indian government is pondering if it will include caste in the national census after a gap of 79 years, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised a decision soon. “I am aware of the views of the Members of Parliament belonging to all sections. I assure you that the cabinet will take a decision shortly,” Singh said in a brief statement in the house on Friday.
The latest move concludes a serious onslaught by backward leaders, who brought Parliament to a halt over the last few days to demand that the census include caste as a criterion in the survey. The demand picked momentum through the week, with an across-the-board consensus in its favor and the mood reflected in the union cabinet on Wednesday, when a large section of ministers reportedly argued in favor of such a headcount.
Inclusion of caste in the census would mark a watershed in independent India, where a conscious decision was taken not to enumerate castes except scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.