Jharkhand To Conduct Caste Survey Based On Bihar Model, CM Champai Soren Asks Personnel Department To Prepare Draft

With "Jiski jiti sankhya bhari, uski utni hissedari" (more share for those with more population) claim, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren announced the conduct of a caste census in the state on Sunday (18 February).

The officials have been asked to prepare a draft, which will then be sent to the Cabinet for approval. The Economic Times quoted an official as saying that the caste survey will be held after the Lok Sabha elections.

"The personnel department will prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) to conduct the survey in Jharkhand. It will be placed before the cabinet for approval," Vinay Kumar Choubey, principal secretary to the CM said.

The caste survey will be done on the basis of Bihar model, where it took nine months to collect the data and the outcomes were made public soon after that, which led to the State Assembly increasing reservation in the state.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is in alliance with the Congress in Jharkhand. Earlier this month, the Cabinet of another Congress-ruled state, Telangana, gave the approval for caste census in the state.

Meanwhile, Karnataka, again a Congress-ruled state, has not accepted the caste survey report amid pressure from influential castes like Vokkaligas and Lingayats. However, CM Siddaramaiah gave assurance to do so soon.