"Crores Being Left Out Of Welfare Schemes": Kharge Slams Centre's 'Silence' On Population, Caste Census
New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday urged the government to conduct a population and caste census immediately, stating how the country has always conducted them even when there were emergencies, wars, and other crises.
Starting from 1881, a census has consistently been conducted every 10 years in the country, while a caste census was done during the 1931 census, pointed out Kharge. Speaking during Zero Hour in the Upper House, the Congress Chief highlighted how the census was conducted despite the Second World War and the Indo-Pak war in 1971-72.
“For the first time in history, the government has caused a record delay in the census,” Kharge said.
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Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, who had said, “Just like we have to undergo periodic medical examinations to check our bodies, in the same way, a census is the most important test of any nation,” Kharge emphasised why conducting a countrywide census was highly important.
Urging for a caste census along with the population census to be conducted, the Congress party president slammed the centre for being “silent” on both and allocating only Rs 575 crore in this year’s budget for the census.
Kharge further pointed out how 81 percent of the countries in the world had successfully conducted the census despite Covid-19. The last census was held in 2011. The next was to be held in 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Stating the far-reaching effects of not conducting a census, Kharge said, “Due to this delay, crores of citizens are out of the reach of welfare schemes. Policy makers do not have the necessary and reliable data to take important decisions.”
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He listed out important surveys and welfare programmes that depended on data collected from the census, including the Consumer Survey, National Family Health Survey, Periodic Labour Force Survey, National Food Security Act and National Social Assistance Programme.
आज राज्यसभा के शून्य काल में जनगणना में देरी का मुद्दा उठाया –
1. हमारे देश में हर 10 साल पर होने वाली जनगणना 1881 में शुरू हुई थी। तमाम आपात हालात, युद्ध और दूसरे संकट आए लेकिन ये काम जारी रहा।
2. 1931 की जनगणना के दौरान जातिगत जनगणना भी कराई गई थी। इस जनगणना के पहले गांधीजी… pic.twitter.com/tqMA1jXUjd
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 1, 2025
Several opposition parties such as Congress, Samajwadi Party, and allies within the INDIA bloc. BJP’s NDA allies, including the JD(U) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), have advocated for a caste census to aid in better policy-making.
