Bihar caste-based survey 2023

The first phase of caste-based survey started in Bihar from January 7, 2023, which ended on January 21.[22] The number of all households in the State were counted and recorded in the first phase.[23] The second phase will be calculated on the basis of the data of the first phase. All the data collected in the first phase is uploaded on this portal and these data will be available to the enumerators and supervisors at the time of second enumeration on the mobile app. In the first phase, more than two and a half crore families were counted In the first phase of caste census, census workers reached about 2,58,90,497 families across Bihar in 38 districts, which have 534 blocks and 261 urban local bodies and numbered the houses.[24] In the first phase, the name of the head of the family and the number of members living there were recorded.[25] More than 5.18 lakh personnel were engaged in the caste census of the first phase which began on January 7. Survey of 14.35 lakh families was done in Patna district, left out families can give information to District Caste Enumeration Cell.[26]

In second phase of the survey, which is to start from April 15 and end on May 15,[27] people living in the households, their castes, sub-castes, socio-economic conditions etc. will be collected. The survey will end on May 31, 2023. In this phase, over 3.04 lakh enumerators will ask respondents 17 questions, including caste.[28] Every enumerator has been given a target to reach out to 150 households. While all 17 questions are mandatory, filling Aadhaar number, caste certificate number and ration card number of the head of the family, are optional.[29] Bihar government has set different codes for 215 different castes of the state.[30][31] The sub-categories of a particular caste concerned have been merged into one single social entity,[32] and they have one numerical caste code for use during the month-long second phase of caste-based headcount.[33] At the same time, there will be special strictness regarding the registration of names in this phase. If someone tries to write the name twice, now the app will mark such people. The names of people living outside the state will also be registered.

On 15 April 2023, Nitish Kumar launches 2nd phase of caste-based survey from his ancestral home at Bakhtiyarpur.[34][35] Newborns born from January 22, 2023 till the end of the second phase are not counted.[36] Nitish Kumar informed that once the data work is completed, the report of the caste-based survey would be tabled in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha and the Bihar Vidhan Parishad. After that the report would be made public. The work of the second phase of counting will be done from April 15 to May 15, 2023 in all 261 urban local bodies and 534 blocks.[37]

In April 2023, there was an incident during the caste census that around 40 women in a red-light area of Ward No. 7 in Bihar's Arwal district declared a man named Roopchand as their husband. Some of them even mentioned name Roopchand as their father's name and children's name.[38] When questioned, it was found that Roopchand is not a man. The people of this area call money Roopchand.

1. Telangana's Samagra Kutumba Survey 2014 [published 2022]: The report reveals that Telangana's population of around 36.9 million is distributed among various caste groups. Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) represent approximately 18.48% and 11.74% of the population respectively. Most of the population belongs to Backward Castes (BCs), making up 53.58% of the populace. Other castes comprise around 16.03%, while religious minorities account for approximately 10.65% of the population.[39]
2. Karnataka Caste Census 2015[40] [status unknown]: The Social and Educational Survey ordered by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2014 to inform Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations in Karnataka is yet to be published as of 2023. Initiated by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, the survey involved 1.6 lakh government employees canvassing around 1.3 crore households, costing the state Rs 169 crore. However, the report remains unpublished despite eight years passing, multiple government tenures, and repeated calls for its release from various political leaders. Controversy surrounds the issue with successive social welfare ministers, including H Anjaneya and Kota Shrinivas Poojary, blaming delays on incomplete tabulation and non-submission by the state BC Commission headed by MP Jayaprakash Hegde. Some sources suggest political pressure and potential upheaval in the state's power dynamics, particularly concerning the traditionally dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, as reasons for the report's non-disclosure.[41]
3. Uttarakhand OBC Survey [ongoing]: The ongoing Other Backward Classes (OBC) survey in Uttarakhand has experienced significant delays and issues with accuracy, leading to intervention by the single-member dedicated commission. Various districts have reported non-compliance with survey guidelines, including instances of reliance on outdated data rather than conducting new door-to-door surveys, as seen in Khatima. In response, the commission has cancelled the flawed survey, ordering a redo within 15 days, and transferred the officer in charge. Similar corrective measures have been taken in Champawat and Dharchula. Despite these efforts, the commission has yet to receive any completed data, not even from Dehradun, and the survey's conclusion has been extended to June 2023.[42]
4. Odisha Backward Classes Survey 2023[43] [ongoing]: On May 1, 2023, the Odisha government initiated a comprehensive survey targeting Other Backward Classes (OBC), which is expected to conclude by May 27, 2023. Administered across all 314 blocks and 114 urban local bodies of Odisha, the survey is being conducted by the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (OSCBC) using both online and offline methods. The survey aims to evaluate social and educational conditions of backwardness, factoring in various indicators such as occupation and educational qualifications. Centers for data submission have been established in Anganwadi Kendras and various PDS outlets. As of now, the report compiling the findings from the survey has not yet been published, given the survey is still ongoing. It's noteworthy that the survey is being conducted under the OSCBC Act, 1993 and the OSCBC (Amendment) Act, 2020, allowing family heads or senior individuals to provide family data, including ration card, Aadhar card, or voter identity details. [44]
5. UP Backward Classes Commision OBC quota report for ULB[45][46]
6. Haryana Backward Classes Commission Chairman Report[47]

• Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011
• Demographics of Bihar
• Biharis
• Reservation in India
• 2021 Census of India