The Biju Janata Dal on Wednesday pressed forth the demand for the launch of a caste-based census for identifying and enumerating the Socially and Educationally Backward Communities (SEBC) and Other Backward Class and increasing the reservation beyond 50% ceiling by enacting central legislation.

A BJD delegation from both the lower and upper house met Home Minister Amit Shah today at his parliament chamber and underscored the need for the caste-based census in Odisha.

It is pertinent to note here that the State government had already accorded approval to the proposal on the survey of social and educational conditions of backward classes. The Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes has also been constituted to espouse the cause of backward classes.

“A detailed scientific database is very much required for the formulation of accurate reservation policy for holistic development, welfare, and upliftment of these categories of the population”, Pinaki Mishra, who led the delegation of MPs, said.

The reliable and authentic data regarding the exact numbers of the SEBC and OBCs, geographical area of their spread, and density are not available. This is posing a huge challenge in ensuring focused and outcome-specific planning, they said.

“For a welfare government, it is a constitutional obligation and commitment for inclusive growth of the weaker sections of the society,” they stressed.

“It is imperative that detailed enumeration of SEBC and OBC is to be made by Centre by inserting appropriate columns in the Census Format 2021 for identification of the socio-economic and educational status of these categories of population,” the BJD lawmakers stated in the memorandum to the union home minister.

“It is high time that the Central government frames legislation in this regard for benefits, welfare and all-round upliftment of the SEBC and OBC categories of population after collection of the scientific database through General Census 2021 for the establishment of compelling reasons like backwardness, inadequate representation, and overall administrative efficiency”, the BJD MPs maintained.