A day after releasing data from a caste-based survey in the state, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called for an all-party meeting on Tuesday to present the findings of the census report and deliberate on the next course of action.
Kumar urged the participation of all nine parties in the state. He said the government will provide detailed information on the calculations behind the results and the economic conditions of the people surveyed.
“After doing everything, the result came out. We have taken the financial condition of every family. Tomorrow, in the all-party meeting, we will keep everything in front of everyone. The government will take all the necessary steps after taking everyone’s suggestions in the meeting,” the Bihar Chief Minister told reporters as quoted by news agency ANI.
Also Read: Bihar caste census 2023 report: 63% Other Backward Classes, 16% population in General category
Bihar caste-based census report
The Bihar government on Monday released data from the caste census that found that 36 per cent of the state’s 13.1 crore population belongs to extremely backward classes, 27.1 per cent to backward classes, 19.7 per cent to Scheduled Castes, and 1.7 per cent to Scheduled Tribes. The general population accounts for 15.52 per cent.
Yadavs, the OBC group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, are the largest population group in Bihar, accounting for 14.27% of the total, according to the caste census survey.
The last time a census of all castes was conducted was in 1931. On June 2 last year, the Bihar cabinet approved a caste survey and allocated Rs 500 crore for the exercise.
Hours after data from the survey was released, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the opposition of “trying to divide the country in the name of caste”. The PM condemned any attempt to “divide people” on the basis of caste as a “sin”.