Kharge writes to PM Modi demanding caste census

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding an up-to-date caste census, saying meaningful social justice and empowerment programmes are incomplete in the absence of such a data.

In the letter, he also pointed out that the regular decennial census was to be carried out in 2021 but it has not yet been conducted. "I am writing to you to once again place on record the demand of the Indian National Congress for an up-to-date Caste Census. My colleagues and I have raised this demand earlier in both



House of Parliament on a number of occasions as have leaders of many other Opposition parties," the Congress chief said in his letter dated April 16.

"You are aware that for the first time the UPA Government conducted a Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) during 2011-12 covering some 25 crore households. For a number of reasons, however, the caste data could not get published even though Congress and other MPs demanded its release after your government came to power in May 2014," he said.