Caste census would be in the interest of the country- Nitish Kumar

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has said that the caste census would be in the interest of the country. Talking to media in Patna on Monday he said that the states had the right to classify OBCs earlier also. In Bihar, former CM Karpoori Thakur also created a separate category for extremely backward classes (EBCs). Different states have done it differently, as they were empowered to do so. There was, however, some confusion for the last few years. After the court order, the Centre decided to clarify that states continue to have the right.

Kumar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserves praise for removing the confusion regarding a state’s right to classify other backward castes (OBCs). Reiterating his demand for the caste census Kumar said that he had been advocating the need for caste-based census across the country for a long time. “It was done separately between 2011-13, but the report did not come out. We want it to be with the Census at least once to have a clear picture, as it will help in planning and policy-making for they weaker sections,” he added.