Hindi English Translation || Editorial || The caste imperative: On the subject of an updated caste census

The caste imperative: On the subject of an updated caste census

Caste census, even if morally flawed (त्रुटिपूर्ण, गलत), can help in targeting of quota benefits

With the Congress party joining the chorus for an updated caste census, there seems to be an emerging consensus (सर्वसम्मति) among the political opposition on the need for this exercise. While the parties committed to reservations (आरक्षण) in the northern belt (region, area, territory, neighbourhood, locality) — the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in particular — have made this demand as a reaction to the expansion of reservation benefits to economically weaker sections (आर्थिक रूप से कमजोर वर्ग) among “forward” castes using income criteria (मानदंड, आधार), the Congress’s pivot (focus/focal point, foundation, cornerstone) towards supporting this stems from (से उत्पन्न होना) the party’s new political emphasis (ज़ोर, महत्व) on expanding its support base (आधार). With the Mandal Commission report (मंडल आयोग की रिपोर्ट) of 1980, that was based on caste census data of 1931, still remaining the basis of identifying backwardness (the condition/state of not developed) and determining the extent (degree, range, level, scope) of reservation to the Other Backward Classes (अन्य पिछड़ा वर्ग), the need for a comprehensive (व्यापक, विस्तृत) census that provides data to support, or evaluate existing reservation quotas, or to assess demands for them remains pertinent (applicable, appropriate, suitable, related, relevant). Such a diligent (careful, attentive, meticulous, thorough) exercise would also serve (be adequate, be good enough, suffice) a legal imperative (अनिवार्यता, आवश्यक शर्त) allowing the government to answer the Supreme Court’s call for (की मांग करना, आवश्यकता) quantifiable data (the type of data whose value is measured in the form of numbers or counts, with a unique numerical value associated with each data set. Also known as numerical data, quantitative data further describes numeric variables (e.g. How many? How often? How much?) This data type can also be defined as a group of quantifiable information that can be used for mathematical computations and statistical analysis which informs real-life decisions). But counting castes is not easy. An inherent (अंतर्निहित, बुनियादी) weakness is evident in how the government described the Socio-Economic (सामाजिक-आर्थिक) and Caste Census (an official survey, particularly of a population) in 2011: as being riddled with (fill with, spread through, overrun, plague/beset (something undesirable)) infirmities (weakness, feebleness, impairment; unsteadiness, hesitation, instability) that made the data collected unusable. Data here recorded 46 lakh different castes, sub-castes, caste/clan surnames, which required adequate parsing (an act of examining something carefully in order to understand it) before being used for proper enumeration (the action of establishing the number of something; counting, numbering, tally). The survey’s hurried (hasty, rushed, hastened) conduct, without utilising the Census Commissioners and the Office of the Registrar General properly, also rendered (show, display, manifest, exhibit) it problematic.

A more thoroughgoing (all-embracing, all-inclusive, comprehensive, all-out, thorough, assiduous, scrupulous, meticulous, careful) exercise (task, assignment, piece of work) would entail an adequate consolidation (merging, combining, connecting) of caste/sub-caste names into social groups based on synonymity (closeness, coincidence, connection, resemblance) and equivalence of the self-identified (self-sorted, self-classified, self-characterized, self-categorized) group names revealed by respondents (a person who replies to something (questionnaire, etc.,)) in the census. Marking (set apart, separate, distinguish, differentiate) these groups against the OBC/Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes lists for each State would build a useful database, which can be utilised in the decennial Census. The data obtained this way can be used to parse (examine something carefully in order to understand it) aggregated (accumulated, combined, cumulative, added, amassed, collected) socioeconomic information for these groups. But with the government having postponed the long-delayed 2021 Census and not acquiescing (agree to, consent to, accept, respect, say yes to, comply with, stand by, tolerate, cooperate with) to the demand of including caste counts, questions remain whether an effective caste census is possible. There is of course (certainly, definitely, absolutely; obviously, clearly) the risk of reification (the process of considering an abstract (theoretical or conceptual) idea/concept as a real/concrete one) of caste identities even as the constitutional order (a reasonably stable set of institutions through which a nation’s fundamental decisions are made over a sustained period, and the principles that guide those decisions; put simply, the constitutional order is the combination of institutions and principles) seeks (try, aim, attempt) to build a casteless society. But with caste-based identification still predominant (main, most important, more powerful), such a census seems politically imperative, even if (despite the fact that) morally flawed, for the purpose of addressing (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) socioeconomic inequities through facile (effortless, easy, undemanding, unexacting; simplistic, oversimplified) reservation quotas that confer income benefits and a degree of social justice without actually advancing the cause of a truly casteless society.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.flawed (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - त्रुटिपूर्ण, गलत
English Meaning - inaccurate, incorrect, erroneous, imprecise, fallacious, wrong, defective.

2.consensus (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सर्वसम्मति
English Meaning - an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.

3.reservation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरक्षण
English Meaning - a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics.

4.Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आर्थिक रूप से कमजोर वर्ग
English Meaning - Economically Weaker Section (EWS) or Economically Backward Classes (EBC) in India is a subcategory of people belonging to the General Category having an annual family income less than ₹8 lakh and who do not belong to any category such as SC/ST/OBC across India, nor to MBC in Tamil Nadu.

5.criterion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मानदंड, आधार
English Meaning - basis, standard, norm. (criteria is the plural form of criterion).

6.stem from (verb)

Hindi Meaning - से उत्पन्न होना
English Meaning - originate from, come from, be rooted in, emanate from, flow from, proceed from, result from, be consequent on.

7.emphasis (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ज़ोर, महत्व
English Meaning - importance, significance; priority, insistence.

8.base (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आधार
English Meaning - a group of people considered as supporting an organization/party.

9.Mandal Commission report (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मंडल आयोग की रिपोर्ट
English Meaning - the Mandal Commission report (1980) recommended 27% reservation for OBC candidates at all levels of the Central government services.

10.Other Backward Class (OBC) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अन्य पिछड़ा वर्ग
English Meaning - In the Indian Constitution, OBCs are described as socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC), and the Government of India is enjoined to ensure their social and educational development.

11.comprehensive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक, विस्तृत
English Meaning - all-inclusive, broad-based; all-embracing, complete, thorough.

12.call for (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - की मांग करना, आवश्यकता
English Meaning - require, need, necessitate, make necessary, demand, publicly ask for.

13.inherent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अंतर्निहित, बुनियादी
English Meaning - basic, deep-rooted, fundamental, ingrained, innate, intrinsic.

14.socio-economic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामाजिक-आर्थिक
English Meaning - relating to the interaction of social (position, rank, or importance) and economic (income, pay, and wealth) aspects.

15.imperative (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनिवार्यता, आवश्यक शर्त
English Meaning - necessary condition, precondition, condition, essential requirement.

16.social justice (noun)

English Meaning - the equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.

17.census (noun)

English Meaning - an official survey, particularly of a population.

18.chorus (noun)

English Meaning - an expression of something by many people (at the same time).

19.emerging (adjective)

English Meaning - increasing, growing, rising.

20.exercise (noun)

English Meaning - task, assignment, piece of work.

21.belt (noun)

English Meaning - region, area, territory, neighbourhood, locality.

22.pivot (noun)

English Meaning - focus/focal point, foundation, cornerstone.

23.backwardness (noun)

English Meaning - the condition/state of not developed.

24.extent (noun)

English Meaning - degree, range, level, scope.

25.pertinent (adjective)

English Meaning - applicable, appropriate, suitable, related, relevant.

26.diligent (adjective)

English Meaning - careful, attentive, meticulous, thorough.

27.serve (verb)

English Meaning - be adequate, be good enough, suffice.

28.quantifiable (adjective)

English Meaning - measurable (as quantity).

29.quantifiable data (noun)

English Meaning - the type of data whose value is measured in the form of numbers or counts, with a unique numerical value associated with each data set. Also known as numerical data, quantitative data further describes numeric variables (e.g. How many? How often? How much?) This data type can also be defined as a group of quantifiable information that can be used for mathematical computations and statistical analysis which informs real-life decisions.

30.Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) (noun)

English Meaning - The Ministry of Rural Development Government of India, commenced the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, in June 2011 through a comprehensive door to door enumeration (counting) across the country. This is the first time such a comprehensive exercise has been carried out for both rural and urban India. It is also expected to generate information on a large number of social and economic indicators relating to households across the country.

31.riddle with (verb)

English Meaning - fill with, spread through, overrun, plague/beset (something undesirable).

32.infirmity (noun)

English Meaning - weakness, feebleness, impairment; unsteadiness, hesitation, instability.

33.clan (noun)

English Meaning - group of families.

34.parsing (noun)

English Meaning - an act of examining something carefully in order to understand it.

35.enumeration (noun)

English Meaning - the action of establishing the number of something; counting, numbering, tally.

36.hurried (adjective)

English Meaning - hasty, rushed, hastened.

37.conduct (noun)

English Meaning - actions, acts, activities, deeds.

38.Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (noun)

English Meaning - Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, founded in 1961 by Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs, for arranging, conducting and analysing the results of the demographic surveys of India including Census of India and Linguistic Survey of India.

39.render (verb)

English Meaning - show, display, manifest, exhibit.

40.thoroughgoing (adjective)

English Meaning - all-embracing, all-inclusive, comprehensive, all-out, thorough, assiduous, scrupulous, meticulous, careful.

41.entail (verb)

English Meaning - require, demand, call for, be grounds/reason for, warrant, involve.

42.consolidation (noun)

English Meaning - merging, combining, connecting.

43.synonymity (noun)

English Meaning - closeness, coincidence, connection, resemblance.

44.self-identified (adjective)

English Meaning - self-sorted, self-classified, self-characterized, self-categorized.

45.respondent (noun)

English Meaning - a person who replies to something (questionnaire, etc.,).

46.mark (verb)

English Meaning - set apart, separate, distinguish, differentiate.

47.decennial (adjective)

English Meaning - recurring every ten years.

48.parse (verb)

English Meaning - examine something carefully in order to understand it.

49.aggregated (adjective)

English Meaning - accumulated, combined, cumulative, added, amassed, collected.

50.acquiesce (verb)

English Meaning - agree to, consent to, accept, respect, say yes to, comply with, stand by, tolerate, cooperate with.

51.of course (phrase)

English Meaning - certainly, definitely, absolutely; obviously, clearly.

52.reification (noun)

English Meaning - the process of considering an abstract (theoretical or conceptual) idea/concept as a real/concrete one.

53.constitutional order (noun)

English Meaning - a reasonably stable set of institutions through which a nation’s fundamental decisions are made over a sustained period, and the principles that guide those decisions; put simply, the constitutional order is the combination of institutions and principles.

54.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

55.predominant (adjective)

English Meaning - main, most important, more powerful.

56.even if (phrase)

English Meaning - despite the fact that.

57.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

58.facile (adjective)

English Meaning - effortless, easy, undemanding, unexacting; simplistic, oversimplified.