No reason for delay in caste data release: Cong

After days of silence, the Congress on Thursday finally demanded that the Centre release the data in the Socio Economic Caste Census.

It has been 14 months since the survey was completed and there is no reason for the Centre to conceal the information from the public, it said.

Party leader and senior spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said that in 2011, when the caste census was started, it was decided that the economic condition of the families and their castes were to be surveyed.

“It took around three years to complete such a survey. It was completed in January-February 2014. Information from almost 25 crore families was collected through hand held and electronic devices. It was not an easy task. The information on caste was also collected. It is almost 14 months now that this information is with the concerned ministries of the Government of India,” the former Rural Development Minister said.

An analysis of this survey was to be done within five-six months, he added.

“Now this government says an analysis has not been done by them. We demand that the caste related information collected by this survey be made public as early as possible,” he said.

“Since no analysis has been done, it raises some questions as to whether this government is committed — as to whether they will release the information related to caste or not.”

The party has also decided to raise in Parliament the issue of “deliberate suppression” of the report on a national survey on child health carried out by the government and Unicef.

Demanding a debate on the survey, Ramesh said the report paints a dim picture of the affairs in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home State. “There should be a discussion on the results of the survey and if need be action should be taken by the government,” he said.

He said the so-called Modi model of development will have to be blamed for the problems in Gujarat. The survey revealed that the percentage of immunisation in Gujarat is below national average and it became worse during Modi’s rule, he added.

In immunisation, Gujarat comes behind Bihar and many other backward States, he said.

Malnutrition among children is also high in Gujarat, said Ramesh. “The national average of underweight children is 29 per cent and the average in Gujarat is 33.5 per cent. With regard to below-normal height, the national average is 40 per cent and the average in Gujarat is 42 per cent,” the former minister said.