Shruti Suman
The Bihar government has unveiled the second installment of data from its caste-based survey, along with a comprehensive report on the economic status of 215 Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and Extremely Backward Classes. This information was presented in the Assembly today.
According to the report, more than 42% of families belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes fall below the poverty line, as do over 33% of families from Backward and Extremely Backward Classes.
Furthermore, the report reveals that of those surveyed, less than six percent of Scheduled Castes have completed their schooling, specifically up to Class 11 and Class 12, while this figure rises slightly to nine percent across the entire state.
This report emerges amidst allegations by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the Bihar government had inflated the population figures of the Yadav and Muslim communities, potentially impacting the rights of the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs). Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav vehemently refuted this claim, stating, “Are Yadavs not considered backward? On what basis are they claiming an increase or decrease? We have scientific data to support our numbers.”
The first set of data was released last month and indicated that over 60% of Bihar’s population belongs to Backward or Extremely Backward Classes, with over 20% belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes.
Economic Data
The overall data from the Bihar government’s report is concerning.
It reveals that 34.13% of all families in the state earn a meager ₹6,000 or less per month, while 29.61% survive on ₹10,000 or less. Additionally, nearly 28% of families fall into the income bracket of ₹10,000 to ₹50,000, and only less than four percent earn over ₹50,000 per month.
This report paints a grim picture, especially in a state where marginalized communities and backward classes account for over 80% of a population of more than 13.1 crore.
In total, 42.93% of families from Scheduled Castes and 42.70% from Scheduled Tribes are classified as living in poverty. Among Backward and Extremely Backward Classes, these figures are 33.16% and 33.58% respectively. In other castes, 23.72% of all families are impoverished.
Only 25.09% of General Category families are listed as poor, with 25.32% of Bhumihars, 25.3% of Brahmins, and 24.89% of Rajputs among them. Brahmins and Rajputs together constitute 7.11% of Bihar’s population, while Bhumihars make up 2.86%.
Among Backward Classes, 35.87% of Yadavs (to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs) are poor, as are 34.32% of Kushwahas and 29.9% of Kurmis.
Yadavs make up 14.26% of the population and represent the largest OBC sub-group, while the others account for slightly over eight percent of the total.
On average, over 30% of EBC families live in poverty. This percentage is 29.87% among Telis, rising to 32.99% for Kanus, 34.08% for Chandravanshis, 34.75% for Dhanuks, and 35.88% for Noniyas.
Literacy in Bihar
The overall literacy rate in the state is 79.7%.
Only 22.67% of respondents had completed education up to Class 5, but this figure increases to 24.31% for people from Scheduled Castes and 24.65% for those from Extremely Backward Classes. Among the General Category, this rate is just 17.45%.
Only 5.76% of those surveyed from Scheduled Castes had finished their schooling, including Class 11 and 12. This number slightly improves to nine percent for all respondents.
The demand for a nationwide caste census has gained momentum since the August survey in Bihar. This issue has become politically significant in the run-up to elections in five states, namely Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram, this month, as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
While the BJP at the center has been hesitant to support this demand in the past, Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently indicated a potential policy shift, stating that his party had never opposed the census but would conduct it after careful consideration.
Following the release of the first batch of Bihar’s data, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized those “attempting to divide the country along caste lines.”
The Congress party has been clear about its stance; it will conduct a census in the states it wins in this month’s elections, and Rahul Gandhi has stated that a national-level census will also be pursued if the party wins next year.”
