Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday launched the second and final phase of caste-based survey 2023 (CBS) in Bihar from his Bakhtiarpur residence barely 50 km away from Patna.

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CM Nitish reached his residence at noon to participate in the caste-based survey at his doorstep. The month-long CBS is scheduled to conclude on May 15. The stupendous exercise is touted to be politically significant ahead of the general election in 2024. Political parties/leaders would be in a better position to assess their caste-wise positions. Bihar in particular will also benefit from it in view of the state assembly elections due in 2025.

Patna’s Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kundan Kumar, who was present at Bakhtiarpur during the launch, told media persons that a total of 214 castes has been identified in Bihar. Each caste has been given a code number. If a person does not figure in any of these 214 castes, he or she will get a separate code number of 216.

The trained enumerators would be visiting each family at its doorstep for obtaining reply to 17 questions related to name, age, gender, caste, religion, marital status, education, profession, skills, monthly income, landed property, motor vehicle, laptop, computer, etc.

Kundan Kumar categorically said no documents would be required for proof. The reply would be made by the head of a family only.

This would be the second caste-based census in Bihar. The first was done under the British regime way back in 1931. The Centre had also conducted a caste/socio- economic survey in 2011 but the findings were not released.

It may be recalled here that a countrywide census scheduled for 2021 is yet to be announced.

The main idea behind undertaking such a huge exercise would be to assess the socio-economic condition of the people, said an official. The outcome of the survey report would help in uplifting each and every section of the society. The marginalised sections of the society would be properly identified on the basis of which they would be accommodated in jobs as per their skills, said an official.

The ongoing survey is totally a state sponsored project as the Centre has already turned down its proposal in August 2021. An all-party delegation headed by CM Nitish Kumar had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the demand for a caste-based census. This has been a long-pending demand of all political parties in Bihar. Bihar legislators had unanimously passed the caste-based census twice, in 2019 and in 2020.

Bihar’s General Administration Department is the nodal agency of this caste-based census exercise. According to official sources, there are about 2.59 crore families in Bihar for which 5.19 lakh enumerators are trained to visit door to door to all these families. They will get the reply of a set of 17 personal questions on a manual form. The form will have a final signature of the family head for authentication.

All the data and information accessed would be uploaded on a mobile App called “Bihar Jati Adharit Ganana App” (Bihar Caste-Based Census App). All district magistrates have been entrusted with the task of monitoring the conduct of the survey in their respective districts. There are in total 38 full-fledged districts and additional two police districts in Bihar.

In Patna alone, there are a total 13, 82,717 families (73.52 lakh people) for which 12,741 enumerators are deputed. A total of 2,139 observers have also been deputed for monitoring the survey, according to official sources.

There are some discrepancies in the caste list released by the General Administration Department. Some of the citizens have cited duplication of castes. Some of them have lodged a complaint against it and demanded immediate rectification.

The final findings of the survey report are expected to be released by June this year.