Caste Based Census.

   In pursuance to Government decision, a Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) is being carried out throughout the country. The field work for the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) is being conducted by the respective State/UT Governments. The financial and technical support for this exercise is being provided by the Government of India. The Nodal Ministries in the Government of India are the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Technical support is being provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India).

   The field data-collection in each Enumeration Block is being conducted by a team of 2 persons, an enumerator who is appointed by the State/UT Government and a Data Entry Operator who is handling the Tablet PC for data entry operation.

   The tasks related to hardware and software development and field data entry operations has been entrusted to a consortium of three Central Public Sector Undertakings, namely, the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Limited.

   The SECC field work has already been completed in 29 States/ UTs and is in progress in the remaining States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Regular liaison with the nodal agencies of the concerned State Governments is being conducted by the nodal Ministries in the Central Government for completion of the field-work. Based on the feed-back from the State Governments, the field-work of the SECC is likely to be over by March 2013.

   After the data has been collected in the Hand Held Devices (HHDs) from the field, the Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India would process the caste data and hand over the details of the castes/tribes returns to the proposed Expert Group to be constituted by the Central Government in consultation with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for categorization and classification.

   This was stated by Shri R.P.N.Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs in written reply to a question by Sh. Murari Lal Singh in the Lok Sabha today.

PIB