Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin has welcomed the Central Cabinet’s decision to conduct India’s first caste census in over a century. His statement from Chennai has set the tone for constructive state-centre collaboration.
The move fulfills a key promise from the national agenda, responding to persistent calls for granular social data. Stalin noted that accurate caste profiles are vital for calibrating schemes like scholarships, housing, and healthcare allocations.
Reflecting on Tamil Nadu’s social justice legacy, he praised the decision as aligning with constitutional mandates under Articles 340 and 341. ‘This isn’t charity; it’s constitutional duty,’ Stalin asserted in a social media post that went viral.
While welcoming the step, he outlined expectations: swift timelines, robust privacy safeguards, and public dashboards for data access. Tamil Nadu’s officials are already preparing to assist with pilot testing.
The political landscape shifts subtly with this development. Allies and rivals alike are recalibrating strategies around anticipated data revelations. Stalin urged avoiding caste as a vote-bank tool, focusing instead on empowerment.
Demographers hail the timing, post-COVID, when social vulnerabilities were exposed. For Tamil Nadu, it means potential boosts to its backward classes’ quotas and urban poverty alleviation.
As enumerators fan out nationwide, Stalin’s proactive stance exemplifies leadership. This census could be the dataset that finally bridges rhetoric and reality in India’s quest for equality.