NEW DELHI, Aug 2: With the Patna High Court giving its clearance on Tuesday, the Bihar government promptly resumed the second phase of its caste-based survey on Wednesday.
The Patna High Court on Tuesday had dismissed all petitions filed against the decision of the Bihar government to conduct a caste-based survey. The survey is being conducted at a cost of ₹500 crore, approved by the Cabinet of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, K.K Pathak, has written a letter to all District Magistrates in the state categorically stating that only the teachers on deputation should be engaged in the caste-based survey.
“The work of caste-based survey is being resumed from Wednesday so the deputation of the teachers would only be for the caste-based survey and no other administrative work. While deputing the teachers, keep this in mind that studies are not affected,” Pathak said in the letter.
The first phase of the survey, which involved a house listing exercise, was carried out from January 7 to January 12. The Bihar Government was in the middle of conducting the second phase of the survey, which had begun on April 15 and was to be completed by May 15, but a court-order put a hold on it.
In the second phase, data related to castes, sub-castes and religions of all people is to be collected. “The caste-based survey was put on hold and, once again, it has been resumed from today [Wednesday]. We have started the work in the district and the concerned officers at block level have been given the instruction to resume the work. Today, I inspected the work of caste-based survey in Ward Number 10 of Phulwarisharif area of Patna. In Patna district, there are 13.69 lakh families, and surveys of 9.35 lakh families have been completed. Now, only around four lakh families are left. We will complete the survey within one week itself,” Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh said.
Singh added that 15,000 officials have been deputed for the work on the caste-based survey in Patna district. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said ever since the voice had been raised for getting the caste-based survey done, efforts had been made by some political parties and casteist people to suggest that it was only in the interest of weaker sections.
“The reality is just the opposite as it is in the interest of all sections of the people,” Yadav said. “If there has been economic and social backwardness and inequality in some sections due to caste, then the causes of this problem can be collected, researched and diagnosed only on the basis of scientific statistics of caste. With the help of accurate data, wastage of time, money, resources and efforts can be avoided. People of all sections will get the benefit,” Yadav said.
BJP legislative party leader Vijay Kumar Sinha, when asked about the High Court’s verdict, said his party had never opposed the survey. “We respect the order of the Patna High Court. It was during the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) regime that a decision was taken for caste-based survey. RJD was nowhere in the picture. RJD was in Opposition at that time. Everyone wants development of all sections through caste-based survey. However, the State government should better focus on curbing corruption and maintaining law and order. We have never opposed the survey,” Sinha said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
