Patna High Court ordered to resume Caste Based Survey in Bihar

The Patna High Court ordered to resume the caste based survey in Bihar, which was first started by Patna DM Chandrashekhar himself in Ward 10, Phulwarisharif, Patna.

What’s in News?

The Caste based survey has resumed in entire Bihar, following the order of the Patna High Court. This survey was first started by Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar in Ward 10, Phulwarisharif, Patna. There are 13 lakh 69 thousand families in Patna in which 9 lakh 35 thousand people have been surveyed and the survey of the remaining families will be done within a week.

Background of the Caste Based Survey in Bihar

The court had stayed the caste survey on 4^th May through an interim order, saying that the state government was not competent to conduct the survey. On Tuesday, the Patna High Court upheld the previous order to carry on the survey across Bihar and dismissed several petition challenging the state government’s decision. Bihar Government gets the green signal to carry on the survey.

Phases of Caste Survey

The survey was supposed to take place in two phases which was scheduled to end in May.

The first round was completed in January this year in which the household counting exercise took place.

The second round started on 15^th April and was about to complete in May. In this round, the state was collecting data of people regarding their caste and socio-economic conditions.

Challenges

Critics argue that conducting a caste-based survey reinforces the notion that caste is the primary determinant of one’s identity. By categorizing individuals based on their caste, there is a risk of perpetuating caste divisions.

Instead of emphasizing common shared identities, caste based survey may enhance caste- based differences, leading to further polarization in the society.

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