Gadchiroli Feb. 4 (District Correspondent) Rashtriya OBC Mahasngha has demanded that the census of OBCs should be conducted in Maharashtra on the lines of Bihar.
A delegation of the Mahasngha leaders met the District Collector and submitted him a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mr. Ambadas Danve
The memorandum said that caste-wise census has started in Bihar. Census data will be of great use for the development of the state. Many OBC organizations have been demanding a caste-wise census in Maharashtra for the past several years. Census is a subject related to Central Govt. However, Union Minister of State for Home Nityananda Roy has expressed in the Lok Sabha that he will not conduct a caste-wise census of OBCs. Therefore, Bihar government has started census of OBC caste at its level.
Maharashtra government should also conduct caste wise census of OBCs like Bihar government. The then Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly Nana Patole had had proposed such a resolution in the Legislative Assembly on January 9, 2020. It was unanimously approved by all the parties including BJP, NCP, Shiv Sena, Congress. The same should be implemented by the Shinde-Fadnavis government quickly, demanded the Mahasangha.
The last caste-wise census in the country was conducted in 1931. It has been 90 years since that census. After independence, the Government of India has adopted a policy of taking the census of only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and conducting a combined census of all the rest based on religion. The backward OBCs have been deprived of the benefits, pointed out the memorandum.
The National Commission for Backward Classes, appointed by the central government in 1994, repeatedly convinced the government of the need for an OBC census. On 5th May 2010, as many as 100 Members of Parliament including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Yadav, Gopinath Munde had proposed a resolution for OBC census in the country. Accordingly, the Centre conducted Social and Economic Caste Census in 2011. But its statistics were not announced. On 31st August 2018, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured the country that the 2021 national census would be caste-wise. The regular census of the year 2021 is yet to start in the country. When the census is started, caste wise census of OBCs be conducted, demanded Mahasangha.
National Vice President of Mahasangha Prof. Shesharao Yelekar, District President Dadaji Choudhary, Working President Vinayak Bandurkar, Vice President Pandurang Ghotekar, Secretary Devanand Kamdi, Treasurer Dr. Suresh Ladke, Organizer Suresh Bhandekar, Chandrakant Shivankar, Women President Ms. Sangita Navghade, Sonali Punyapawar, Sudha Chaudhary, District Youth Vice President Rahul Bhandekar, Organizer Pankaj Khobe, Dadaji Chaple, Purushottam Maske, Chandrasekhar Naitam, Rakhi Jivtode and other office bearers were present in the delegation.
