BIHAR’s CASTE SURVEY RELEASED!

PATNA, Oct.2, 2023 (TBINN)

A Bihar Caste Survey found that 27 per cent of the population are backward classes and 36 per cent are extremely backward classes.

Thus, Bihar has become the first state in India to release data from a caste-based survey, which released its report on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2, 2023, that indicates 36 per cent of the population are from Extremely Backward Classes (E.B.C.s), 27.1 per cent are from Backward Classes (O.B.C.s), 19.7 per cent are from Scheduled Castes (S.C.s) and 1.7 per cent are from Scheduled Tribes (S.T.s). The general population is 15.5 per cent. The state’s total population is over 13.1 crore.

Survey also said that Yadav community, the group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, is largest sub-group, accounting for 14.27 per cent of all O.B.C. categories.

Release of this data is likely to have significant political ramifications, especially for 2024 Lok Sabha Election. Backward classes account for nearly two-thirds of the population, 63.1 per cent in Bihar and there are likely to be calls to increase quotas for them, which is currently capped at 27 per cent.

Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the release of data, saying that it would be beneficial for all and will enable the development of various sections of society, including the deprived. He also said that the survey would identify areas that need development and that he was sure other states would also follow suit.