Bhubaneswar: Former Union Minister Srikant Kumar Jena Friday raised the demand for caste-based census in the State. Demanding tabling of a proposal in the Odisha Legislative Assembly for caste-based census, Jena wrote a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Jena in the letter urged Patnaik to kick-start the work on the caste-based census in the State at the earliest. He suggested the CM to convene a meeting of the newly-formed Council of Ministers and approve a proposal for the caste-based census.
As a special session of the State Assembly is scheduled to be held June 13 for the Speaker’s election, Jena also requested Patnaik to table the proposal on caste-based census for the House approval. The proposal will be passed amid consensus in the Assembly without any hindrance because all political parties have been lending their support towards the idea, Jena added.
In the letter, Jena stated he expects the CM will begin the work towards caste-based census before his foreign trip.
Jena said by adding another column for the Other Backward Class (OBC) in the census format, a clearer picture on the social and economic condition of OBC will emerge.
As per the 1931 caste-based census, the percentage of OBC in India is 52 whereas in Odisha, the percentage is 54. Worth mentioning, the census is held in the country every 10 years.