Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Complex count: On caste census

Complex count: On caste census

A precise caste census is difficult, but the data will be useful to drive (चलाना, संभालना) social policy (सामाजिक नीति)

The idea of a national caste census might be abhorrent (घृणित, घिनौनापन) when the stated (घोषित, कहा गया है) policy is to strive (प्रयास करना, संघर्ष करना) for a casteless society, but it will be useful to establish statistical justification for preserving (संरक्षित करना, रक्षा करना, बनाए रखना) caste-based affirmative action (सकारात्मक कार्यवाही) programmes. It may also be a legal imperative (अनिवार्यता, आवश्यक शर्त, पूर्व), considering that courts want ‘quantifiable (मात्रात्मक, मापने योग्य (मात्रा के रूप में)) data’ to support the existing levels of reservation (आरक्षण). Political parties with their base (आधार, मूल) in particular social groups may find a caste enumeration useful, if their favoured groups are established as dominant (प्रमुख, सर्वोच्च, आधिकारिक) in specific geographies (भूगोल, क्षेत्र); or they may find the outcome inconvenient, if the precise count (गिनती, संख्या, गणना) turns out (उपस्थित होना, घटित होना, विकसित होना) to be lower and has a negative bearing on perceptions (understanding, discernment, recognition/realization; interpretation) about their electoral importance. In this backdrop, the Union government’s assertion in the Supreme Court that a census of the backward castes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome (complicated, complex; awkward/hard to deal with)” may evoke (invoke, cause, give rise to, bring forth) varying responses. There are two components (part) to the government’s stand (point of view, viewpoint, opinion, way of thinking, standpoint, position, perspective, approach). First, it asserts (state, announce, argue, affirm something (confidently & forcefully)) that it is a policy decision not to have caste as part of the regular census (an official survey, particularly of a population) and that, administratively, the enumeration (the action of establishing the number of something; counting, numbering, tally) would be rendered (make, cause to be, cause to become) so complex that it may jeopardise (imperil, threaten, put at risk, put in danger, endanger) the decennial (recurring every ten years) census itself. Second, it cites the difficulties and complexities inherent (implicit, intrinsic, fundamental, basic) in getting an accurate count of castes, given (considering, taking into account, bearing in mind) the mind-boggling (overwhelming, impressive, astonishing, remarkable, extraordinary, outstanding) numbers of castes and sub-castes, with phonetic variations and similarities, that people returned as their caste in the Socio-Economic (relating to the interaction of social (position, rank, or importance) and economic (income, pay, and wealth) aspects) Caste Census (SECC) conducted in 2011.

The Government has said data from the 2011 SECC were not acted upon because of “several infirmities” that rendered them unusable. Even in the Censuses up to 1931, when caste details were collected, they were wanting (deficient, inadequate, lacking, insufficient, imperfect) in completeness and accuracy. Further, the data contained 46 lakh different caste names, and if subcastes were considered, the ultimate (eventual, final) number may be exponentially (in a way something is increasing quicklyrapidly by large amounts) high. These points do merit (deserve, warrant, justify) consideration, and even those clamouring (demand, call, protest; yell, scream, shout loudly) for a caste census cannot easily brush them aside. However, these need not mean that an enumeration of the social groups in the country is impossible. A caste census need not necessarily (inevitably, certainly, surely) mean caste in the census. It may be an independent exercise, but one that needs adequate thought and preparation, if its ultimate goal is not for political or electoral purposes, but for equity (fairness, justness, neutrality, lack of bias, impartiality) in distribution of opportunities. A preliminary socio-anthropological (relating to the study of the human race) study can be done at the State and district levels to establish all sects ((religious) group) and sub-castes present in the population. These can be tabulated (arrange, order, organize, classify) under caste names that have wider recognition based on synonymity (closeness, coincidence, connection, resemblance) and equivalence among the appellations that people use to denote themselves. Thereafter, it may be possible to do a field enumeration that can mark (indicate, signify, represent, denote) any group under castes found in the available OBC/BC lists. A caste census may not sit well with the goal of a casteless society, but it may serve, in the interim, as a useful, even if not entirely flawless, means (way, method, mode) of addressing (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) inequities (unfairness, unjustness, one-sidedness, partisanship, bias, prejudice, discrimination) in society.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.count (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गिनती, संख्या, गणना
English Meaning - a point or matter (for discussion/consideration); counting, enumeration, tallying.

2.drive (verb)

Hindi Meaning - चलाना, संभालना
English Meaning - cause to happen; urge, impel, prompt; steer, handle, manage.

3.social policy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामाजिक नीति
English Meaning - a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society.

4.abhorrent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - घृणित, घिनौनापन
English Meaning - disgusting, loathsome, hateful, repugnant, repellent, distasteful, horrifying, heinous, awful/nasty.

5.stated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - घोषित, कहा गया है
English Meaning - specified, identified, expressed, decided, determined.

6.strive (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रयास करना, संघर्ष करना
English Meaning - try, attempt, aspire, make every effort.

7.preserve (verb)

Hindi Meaning - संरक्षित करना, रक्षा करना, बनाए रखना
English Meaning - sustain, conserve, protect, maintain.

8.affirmative action (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सकारात्मक कार्यवाही
English Meaning - it means positive steps taken to increase the representation of (women and) minorities in areas of employment, education, and culture from which they have been historically excluded.

9.imperative (noun)

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

10.quantifiable (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मात्रात्मक, मापने योग्य (मात्रा के रूप में)
English Meaning - measurable (as quantity).

11.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.

12.base (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आधार, मूल
English Meaning - a group of people considered as supporting a particular organization.

13.dominant (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रमुख, सर्वोच्च, आधिकारिक
English Meaning - supreme, authoritative, most influential, most powerful.

14.geography (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भूगोल, क्षेत्र
English Meaning - area, region.

15.turn out (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - उपस्थित होना, घटित होना, विकसित होना
English Meaning - happen, develop, end (in a specific way).

16.enumeration (noun)

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

17.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.

18.census (noun)

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

19.have a bearing on (phrase)

English Meaning - have a relevance, relation or connection to something; have an influence, impact or effect on something.

20.perception (noun)

English Meaning - understanding, discernment, recognition/realization; interpretation.

21.backdrop (noun)

English Meaning - situation, scenario, context.

22.assertion (noun)

English Meaning - declaration, announcement, assurance, attestation, affirmation.

23.cumbersome (adjective)

English Meaning - complicated, complex; awkward/hard to deal with.

24.evoke (verb)

English Meaning - invoke, cause, give rise to, bring forth.

25.component (noun)

English Meaning - part.

26.stand (noun)

English Meaning - point of view, viewpoint, opinion, way of thinking, standpoint, position, perspective, approach.

27.assert (verb)

English Meaning - state, announce, argue, affirm something (confidently & forcefully).

28.render (verb)

English Meaning - make, cause to be, cause to become.

29.jeopardise (verb)

English Meaning - imperil, threaten, put at risk, put in danger, endanger.

30.decennial (adjective)

English Meaning - recurring every ten years.

31.inherent (adjective)

English Meaning - implicit, intrinsic, fundamental, basic.

32.given (preposition)

English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

33.mind-boggling (adjective)

English Meaning - overwhelming, impressive, astonishing, remarkable, extraordinary, outstanding.

34.phonetic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the sounds of spoken language.

35.socio-economic (noun)

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

36.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.

37.act on/upon (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - comply with, act in accordance with, follow, go along with.

38.infirmity (noun)

English Meaning - weakness, feebleness, impairment; uncertainty, inconstancy, instability.

39.wanting (adjective)

English Meaning - deficient, inadequate, lacking, insufficient, imperfect.

40.ultimate (adjective)

English Meaning - eventual, final.

41.exponentially (adverb)

English Meaning - in a way something is increasing quicklyrapidly by large amounts.

42.merit (verb)

English Meaning - deserve, warrant, justify.