economically into above and below povertyline groups while the caste census will give a correct idea about various castes in India. The census will begin in June and cost the exchequer Rs 3,500 crore. The last caste census was carried out in pre-Independent India in 1931.

Many regional political parties have been vociferously demanding a caste census. saying that it would help the Centre and state governments in developing welfare schemes targeting particular groups.

The Minister informed that the door to door census will be conducted by the state government employees and based on the data, three groups will be formed. The first will be the excluded group while the second will be those persons will be automatically included in the BPL category. For the rest of the population seven criteria will be evolved for BPL enumeration. Mrs.Soni said that enumeration of caste and religion will also be done alongwith BPL census and the datas will be utilized for 12th five year plan.

 

While the BPL data for urban and rural poor would be utilized for the 12th Plan, the targetted subsidy schemes as well as the Unique Identification programme (UID), the data on caste and religion would remain confidential.

The Ministries of Rural Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and the Registrar General of India would jointly conduct the census.

“This completely fulfils the assurance given by government in Parliament to have caste-based census along with the socio-economic profiling. Political leaders demanded this”, Soni said.In another important decision, the Union Cabinet gave its nod to revive the Scooters India Ltd. near Lucknow, through induction of a strategic partner and by off loading 95 per cent of the government equity. Mrs. Soni informed that amendment to the Wild Life Act of 1972 was also taken up and the same will be notified after the Law and Environment Ministries reach an agreeable decision on the proposed amendment.