Editorial 1 : A mirror and measuring stick
Context
Calls for a caste census compel us to confront the inequalities embedded in our society. Some of these facts might not be very obvious
Data is the new oil
- In contemporary times, one cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that data is the new oil.
- Just as no enterprise can thrive without accurate data, in the digital age, no nation can deliver social justice without proper information.
- As India moves toward becoming a data-driven economy, projected to reach a $1 trillion digital economy by 2030
The Telangana model
- Telangana has translated the vision to practice, with precision and dexterity, by conducting a comprehensive caste survey, tabling its findings in the state assembly and securing 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) across the educational, employment and political space.
- The Telangana exercise was unique and comprehensive. It conducted an X-ray of the state’s society by collecting data that illuminates the social, educational, political, economic and employment-related aspects of caste.
- The caste census was unlike the survey conducted in 1931 by the colonial state or any other caste-related data collection exercise undertaken in the country.
- The Centre should adopt this blueprint and involve Congress and other political parties in the actual design and execution, as equal participants and stakeholders.
- Conducting the caste census is a moral, constitutional and political imperative because it is essential to combat the hydra-headed monster of social inequality.
- Caste prejudice is widespread in both metropolitan high-rises and rural hamlets.
- A caste census is not an act of charity; it is a scalpel for justice which replaces vague promises with data-driven policies.
A scalpel of justice and equity
- The caste census will enable equitable allocation of public resources, the lifeblood of any welfare state.
- The census will surely prove to be a foundation for the equitable allocation of grants and development funding. It could lead to more precisely targeted welfare programmes.
- The caste census will also provide a mechanism to evaluate the efficacy of affirmative action.
- Social justice in India has long depended on constitutional guarantees. However, without complex data, we are shooting arrows in the dark.
- Data collected during this exercise will provide both a mirror and a measuring stick — it will enable course correction.
- Caste is not a ghost of the past but a living force which shapes our politics, economics and social interactions.
- It is essential to map this reality to create a country where people feel represented, not just governed — a country that includes, not excludes.
- The fear that the caste census will deepen divisions is unfounded. Instead, the exercise could lay the ground for healing society by recognising marginalised groups and providing them justice.
- This is not vote-bank politics; it is a nation-building exercise in its noblest form.
Lessons to learn
- We must conduct decentralised surveys at the district and state levels, ensuring that data is credible, verifiable and reflects regional reality.
- We must also institute rigorous mechanisms to obviate political abuse. The exercise is meant to enhance inclusiveness rather than deepen differences — it must not reduce representation to a chaotic splintering of micro-identities.
- Article 15(5), upheld by the apex court in 2014, should be applied to create quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs in private educational institutions.
- The Justice Rohini Commission’s recommendations should be immediately implemented to guarantee fair representation within OBC subgroups, especially historically underrepresented communities.
- We must use advanced technologies like AI and ML to analyse data, identify trends and make proper assessments.
- The government needs to invest in intensive training for enumerators, the mission’s frontline soldiers. A well-trained enumerator can distinguish between clarity and confusion, trust and mistrust.
Conclusion
Every believer in the constitutional dream of justice must urge the current regime to seize this moment to shape the country according to its founding ideals.