India News | Caste Census Will Be Milestone in India's Development: UP Minister Danish Ansari

Ballia (UP), Jun 16 (PTI) The Minister of State for Minority Welfare in Uttar Pradesh Danish Azad Ansari on Monday advocated for the caste census saying it will prove to be a milestone in the country's development and help take it to new heights.

"Caste census is very necessary. The country's development is based on the axis of caste," he said.

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Ansari said, "The caste census will prove to be a milestone in the country's development. It will take the India's development to new heights," he added.

His remarks came after the Centre issued a notification for conducting the 16th census of India, which will include caste enumeration.

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The census will be carried out with a reference date of October 1, 2026, for snow-bound areas like Ladakh, and March 1, 2027, for the rest of the country, the notification said.

This will be the first caste-based enumeration since Independence. The last comprehensive caste count was carried out by the British between 1881 and 1931.

Caste was excluded from census operations in independent India. The decision to include it in the upcoming census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)