Caste survey by State govt. essential for assessing socio-economic conditions of various communities: Anbumani 

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday said that State governments must conduct a detailed caste survey under the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 to understand the real socio-economic conditions of each community. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately announce such a survey.

Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Dr. Anbumani welcomed the Centre’s announcement of conducting a caste census as part of the upcoming population census. “This is the first time since Independence that the Centre has come forward to carry out a caste census. It was the BJP government that provided constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes and also formed the Justice G. Rohini Commission for sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs)”

Criticising the Congress for failing to act, Dr. Anbumani said, “Despite being in power for several years, the Congress did not conduct a caste census. During my tenure as a Cabinet Minister under the United Progressive Alliance, I urged then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Home Minister Shivraj Patil to conduct the caste census along with the 2011 population census, but the Congress government failed to do so.”

He added that it would take four to five years to compile and publish the results of the caste census, which would only reveal the headcount of each community. While a caste survey by State governments under the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008, could provide a complete understanding of the socio-economic status of different communities.

“To protect the 69% reservation currently in place in Tamil Nadu, a caste survey is essential, and only the State government can conduct it. Through such a survey, we can obtain detailed data on education, economic conditions, and employment opportunities of various communities. The State government can then formulate people-centric welfare schemes based on this data. It is crucial to immediately announce a caste survey to assess how the 69% reservation is benefiting the 377 communities,” he added.