Relevance: GS Paper I (Indian Society – Diversity) & GS Paper II (Social Justice – Vulnerable Sections)

Source: The Hindu

Context: The “Tower of Babel” Dilemma

As India approaches the Census (likely in 2027), we face a massive riddle: How do we count caste without creating chaos?

The last attempt (SECC 2011) resulted in a “Tower of Babel”—people wrote over 46 lakh different caste names! The data was so messy it was rendered useless. Now, the government is torn between two bad options: an “Open List” (too chaotic) or a “Rigid Checklist” (too exclusionary).

The Humanistic Solution: Listen to the Language

Professor G.N. Devy, a distinguished linguist, offers a third path: Let people speak their truth.

Instead of forcing a nomad into a rigid bureaucratic box, allow them to self-identify. Then, use Linguistic Science to decode the data.

• The Precedent: In 2011, Indians reported 19,000 mother tongues. The Census didn’t reject them; it scientifically grouped them into 1,369 languages.
• The Idea: If we can group languages by their roots, we can group caste names by their Culture, Ancestry, and Kinship.

The “Bhaktu” Story (A Case for Mains)

To understand this, look at the lives of India’s nomadic tribes. A single community travels across states, changing names like changing clothes, but their soul (language) remains the same.

• The Names:
  • In Punjab, they are called Sansi.
  • In Rajasthan, they are Kanjar.
  • In Maharashtra, Kanjar Bhat.
• The Bond: To a computer, these are three different castes. But to a human scientist, they are one family because they all speak the unique “Bhaktu” language.
• The Fix: By using Language as a marker, the Census can correctly count them as one group, ensuring they get their due share of welfare.

The Crisis of the “Invisible Citizens” (DNTs)

The article raises a moral alarm about Denotified Tribes (DNTs).

• The History: In 1871, the British branded entire tribes as “born criminals.” They were “De-notified” (freed) in 1952, yet they remain on the margins.
• The Risk: There are nearly 10 Crore DNTs in India, but they are often invisible in data—scattered across SC, ST, and OBC lists without a unique identity.
• The Consequence: If the Census doesn’t count them specifically, schemes like SEED (for DNT welfare) will fail. You cannot budget for people who “do not exist” in your files.

UPSC Value Box

Why this matters for Governance:

• Data is Justice: For a marginalized nomad, being counted correctly is not just statistics; it is the first step to Citizenship.
• Policy Failure: Without accurate data, Affirmative Action is like shooting in the dark.

Advance Reference:

• The Gold Standard: The Census should use the Anthropological Survey of India’s “People of India” project as the reference book to verify these kinship bonds scientifically.

Summary

A Caste Census doesn’t have to be a political disaster. By using Linguistic Markers (like the Bhaktu language), we can scientifically decode the complex, fluid reality of Indian society. This ensures that even the most “invisible” tribes are counted, turning the Census into a true tool of Social Justice.

One Line Wrap: We must count people by the roots of their culture, not just the labels on a list.